Matt Sutton Demands Justice in Toronto Star for Widowed Client as Driver Still Roams

Thomson Rogers LLP Partner Matthew Sutton was recently featured in the Toronto Star, sharing the story of his client Preetha Varma. In November 2024, Preetha’s husband, Santhosh, was killed in a Brampton crash allegedly caused by a stunt driver. Nearly two years later, that criminal case still hasn’t gone to trial. And in the time it’s taken to get there, the same driver was arrested again, this time on new stunt driving charges, while he was out on bail awaiting trial for Santhosh’s death.

Still waiting, while the driver is back on the road

Preetha has spent the past two years healing from serious injuries of her own, raising two children on her own, and rebuilding a life that was upended in an instant. What she hasn’t had, in all that time, is a resolution. The criminal case against the driver remains unresolved, and because it’s still active, Sutton and his team cannot yet access the police file needed to move her civil claim forward. Her family’s lawsuit has been filed. It cannot proceed.

Then came the news that the same driver had been arrested again for stunt driving, months after Santhosh’s death and while the original case was still working its way through the courts.

“My client doesn’t get a reset. She lost her husband and the system has done almost nothing to change the conditions that made that possible,” said Sutton.

For Preetha, the second arrest wasn’t just troubling. It was proof that nearly two years of waiting for the system to respond to her husband’s death hadn’t changed anything.

A delay with consequences beyond the courtroom

Lawyer Matthew Sutton says the length of time it’s taking for this case to reach trial has real consequences, not just for how long Preetha waits for accountability, but for what happens on Ontario’s roads in the meantime. A driver facing serious charges was back behind the wheel, and back in trouble, before ever facing a verdict.

Sutton points to Andrew’s Law, passed in June 2026 in memory of another Ontario father killed by a dangerous driver, as evidence that meaningful change is possible when families push for it. He believes more needs to be done to make sure dangerous drivers don’t stay on the road while their cases sit unresolved, so no other family has to watch the person responsible for their loss get a second chance before they’ve had any resolution at all.

What families facing a similar loss should know

Sutton encourages families affected by a serious or fatal crash to speak with a personal injury lawyer as early as possible, even while a criminal case is still open. Early legal guidance can help ensure a civil claim is ready to move the moment the file can be accessed, rather than losing more time to delay.

Read the full article on the Toronto Star website to learn more about the Varma family’s story and the gap between a criminal case still awaiting trial and a driver already back in trouble.

Matthew Sutton is a Personal Injury Lawyer and a Partner at Thomson Rogers LLP. Matt is listed in the peer-reviewed publication Lexpert®, and can be reached at 416-868-3187 or by email.

About Thomson Rogers LLP’s Personal Injury Group

Thomson Rogers LLP is a Toronto-based law firm with almost a century of experience representing plaintiffs in personal injury, medical malpractice and civil litigation matters across Ontario. The firm’s Personal Injury Group is recognized as a leading Ontario personal injury practice, known for standing with clients through the hardest moments of their lives.