Justice Served in Ramage Case
October 10, 2007 by Jeanne Dupuis
Filed under News, Players
So, Rob Ramage has been found guilty on five charges due to his “involvement” in a fatal car accident back in 2003 in which he was suspected to be driving under the influence.
Uhhh… yeah… that’s what happens when you drink and drive and kill someone. I’m still so irked that he plead “not guilty.”
All the same, “a jury of eight men and four women were in the second day of deliberations when the verdict came down Wednesday.”
A police officer examines the rental car allegedly driven by Rob Ramage.
Ramage, 48, pleaded not guilty Sept. 11 to charges stemming from the fatal auto collision on Dec. 15, 2003 that claimed the life of former NHLer Keith Magnuson.
Ramage underwent surgery for a dislocated hip after the rented Chrysler Intrepid he allegedly was driving veered into traffic and struck two vehicles near Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto.
Magnuson, a passenger in the Intrepid, was pronounced dead at the scene. The former defenceman, who spent his entire 11-year pro career with the Chicago Blackhawks, was 56.
Michelle Pacheco, whose SUV collided with Ramage’s vehicle, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while both occupants of a third car involved in the crash were uninjured.
Ramage was charged with impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm, two counts of dangerous driving causing death and having a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit.
A York police report alleged that Ramage and Magnuson were headed to a players’ alumni meeting after attending the funeral of former NHL forward and union executive Keith McCreary, who died of cancer at age 63 on Dec. 9, 2003.
The prosecution said scientific evidence showed Ramage had up to four times the legal blood-alcohol limit at the time of the crash, though none of the hundreds of people at an earlier reception could say he had a single drink.
The defence claimed blood and urine tests were flawed and that any smell of beer came from cans that exploded in the accident.
Ramage posted 139 goals and 564 points with 2,224 penalty minutes in 1,044 NHL games after being drafted first overall by the Colorado Rockies in 1979.
The London, Ont., native played for the Rockies, St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames, Minnesota North Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers and Maple Leafs, which he captained from 1989-91.
With files from the Canadian Press
Tags: rob ramage, verdict, guilty, keith magnuson, car accident, drunk, impaired, driving
