Minivan driver charged in August crash near Stratford that left 2 children dead

A 39-year-old from Kitchener has been charged in connection to a fatal collision near Stratford last August that left two children dead and five other people injured.

Perth OPP said an SUV and minivan collided around 6 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the intersection of Perth Line 26 and Perth Road 122, about six kilometres southeast of Stratford.

According to the investigation, the minivan had been travelling north on Perth Road 122 while the SUV had been travelling west on Perth Line 26 at the time of the crash. Perth Road 112 is governed by stop signs.

On Monday, police announced the driver of the minivan, Mi-Kyung Park-Nadon, 39, of Kitchener had been charged with failure to yield to traffic on through highway.

The accused was among six people riding in the minivan at the time of the collision. Two occupants, identified by police as Heeyul Son, 10, of Cambridge, Ont., and two-year-old Daniel Nadon of Kitchener, died in the crash.

Three others in the van, also children, according to a London Free Press report, suffered life-threatening injuries and were airlifted from the scene. The accused suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash while the lone occupant of the SUV suffered minor injuries.

The van’s occupants included members of two families — part of a three-family group returning home to the Kitchener-Waterloo area following a trip to Grand Bend, Ont. Other family members were riding in another vehicle, the Free Press reported.

A GoFundMe set up by the uncle of one of the three injured children raised more than $23,000 for the children’s recovery, funeral costs, and income replacement.

Park-Nadon is expected to appear in court in Stratford at a later date.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.