One of five men accused of killing an Innisfill trucker last June in a car crash has pleaded guilty to street racing charges.
He is the third person to plead guilty to criminal negligence causing death while street racing. The two other accused have yet to enter pleas in the case.
David Virgoe was killed when he swerved his tractor-trailer into a ditch on the side of Highway 400 to avoid speeding cars.
His mother, Gertrude, arrived in court carrying an urn with his ashes.
"I figured he needed his day in court," she said.
His widow Debbie said she hopes others will learn a lesson from this case.
"I can't change what they did to David," she told reporters outside the courthouse. "I can only hope what they end up getting will deter the next person from doing this."
The fatal crash was one of several that prompted the province to tackle speeders with tough legislation.
Last September, Ontario began implementing a new law that would strip drivers of their licences and of their cars for a week if they were caught speeding 50 kilometres over the posted speed limit. They also face fines in the thousands of dollars.
The latest stats show that as of last week, nearly 4,100 people have been charged under the law. That works out to about 22 charges a day.
Ontario Provincial Police Const. Dave Woodford was also at the courthouse Monday to offer Virgoe's family support.
"(The new law is) a tool that the OPP are glad to have," he said. "It helps us get these high-speeders off of our highways and that's what we have to do."
Debbie Virgoe said she couldn't agree more.
"I want the message out there that it needs to change and that racing on our highways needs to stop," she said.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Matet Nebres
