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Charges laid in fatal Guelph crash involving motorized wheelchair

Guelph police are investigating a crash involving a motorized wheelchair. Matt Carty / Global Guelph

Guelph police have laid charges in a fatal collision that involved an electric wheelchair earlier this year.

A 49-year-old Guelph woman has been charged with careless driving causing death under the Highway Traffic Act in the incident that claimed the life of a 57-year-old Guelph man.

On May 14, Guelph police were called to the intersection of Edinburgh Road North and Willow Road around 11:30 a.m. due to reports of a four-door sedan striking a man crossing the intersection in his electric wheelchair.

Police say that following the initial crash, the vehicle would partially leave the roadway and crash into a cement retaining wall nearby.

The man in the wheelchair, later identified as Paul Bell, was taken to Guelph General Hospital with significant injuries and succumbed to those injuries a week later on May 21.

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Paul Bell died in hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the collision. GoFundMe

Guelph police say they laid the charges against the woman on Thursday.

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She is now scheduled to appear in court on September 18.

Bell was well-known in the community as a popular Santa Claus who made appearances at many locations. He died with his wife by his side.

Initially, a GoFundMe page was established to help Bell pay for his medical expenses, but once he died, those funds went towards funeral arrangements.

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