Three years to the day, a well-tended roadside memorial still stands at Kipling Avenue and Kirby Road in memory of three young children and their grandfather who were killed by a drunk driver.
Today, as four fresh roses lay beneath four wooden crosses bearing the childrens’ names, Daniel, Harrison, Milly (Neville-Lake), and grandfather Gary (Neville), York Regional Police issued a public statement on the 1,200 charges laid so far this year for impaired driving-related offences. In addition, York police investigated about 1,000 incidents of drunk driving during the same time.
“It’s an alarming trend that prior to the pending legalization of marijuana, we continue to see so many impaired driving offences. In light of the continued warnings about the dangers of impaired driving from police services across Canada, it’s shocking that anyone feels they have the right to risk the lives of innocent people by drinking alcohol or using drugs and getting behind the wheel,” York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe said.
“I can assure our community that York Regional Police is not giving up. We will continue to use education, enforcement and every tool at our disposal in our fight against impaired driving.”
On that fatal day, Marco Muzzo, driving an SUV, hit the family’s minivan, killing Milly, 2, Harrison, 5, Daniel, 8, and grandfather Gary Neville, 65, and injuring two other family members in the vehicle. Muzzo plead guilty in 2016 to four counts of impaired driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm. He was handed down a 10-year prison sentence, and is eligible for day parole in November.
The children’s mother, Jennifer Neville-Lake, yesterday posted this heartfelt message on her Facebook page: The many acts of kindness you have shown toward us over the past three years means more than I can say. Thank you for always carrying us in your heart. #notonemore. Her Twitter bio still says she’s “a broken-hearted mother and daughter whose children were killed by drunk driver Marco Muzzo on a Sunday afternoon in Sept. 2015.”
The Neville-Lakes' suffering resonated far and wide with residents in the Greater Toronto Area, and especially with those close to home.
A Kirby Road resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he has placed Teddy bears and little rocks with the words 'Love' and 'Trust' at the memorial. The Neville-Lake family is always in his thoughts.
For Brampton resident Branka Milin-Campbell, reading about the family’s loss over the past three years has had an impact. Driving past the memorial reminds her about how fragile life is, she said.
“Every time I pass the memorial, I think about how fragile life is and how easily it can be snuffed out by a moment of bad judgment,” Milin-Campbell said. “Now, there’s not even a guarantee of justice. Muzzo, essentially, got a year for each person he killed.”
Mom Neville-Lake this summer founded the Many Hands, Doing Good foundation in her children’s and father’s memory. Its mission is to nurture and inspire children and students through art, dance, and music.
Learn more here
York Regional Police encourage you to report suspected impaired drivers by calling 9-1-1.
