Family of fatal crash victim urges tougher penalties for car thieves

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/11/2010 (5413 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG – A Winnipeg family wants to prevent more tragedies like the one that befell them when joyriding car thieves smashed into 47-year-old Zdzislaw Andrzejczak last December, killing him.

Monday, at a press conference organized by provincial Conservative justice critic Kelvin Goertzen, Andrzejczak’s family announced it is circulating a petition calling on the province to ensure that all chronic car thieves have their court orders enforced and that all breaches are reported to police and vigorously prosecuted.

Andrzejczak was driving northbound on Andrews Street last Dec. 11 when a Hummer, which police said was being driven “at a high rate of speed” westbound on Alfred Avenue, plowed into the passenger side of his small compact car at around 3 p.m.

Less than 40 minutes later, Andrzejczak was pronounced dead in hospital.

Kamil Andrzejczak, Zdzislaw’s son, said today that his dad’s death, “along with too many other deaths and injuries involving stolen vehicles,” was a preventable tragedy.

“Many of those accused in fatalities involving stolen vehicles were previously known to police and identified as chronic and high-risk car thieves who had court orders against them. Chronic car thieves pose a risk to the safety of all Manitobans,” Kamil Andrzejczak said.

The family, including Zdzislaw’s widow Jolanta, Kamil’s wife Elizabeth and Zdzislaw’s sister Irena Piec, was to meet later today with Justice Minister Andrew Swan.

Swan told reporters that the province has made great strides in reducing car thefts.

He said what’s missing is stiffer federal legislation that would help keep many dangerous repeat offenders behind bars.