Point Duty Traffic Court Defence & Legal Services — Licensed Paralegal OntarioPoint DutyTraffic Court Defence and Legal Services
Criminal Code s.320.16

Fail to Stop After Accident charges in Caledon, Ontario.

Quick Answer — Caledon

Point Duty defends fail to stop after an accident charges under Criminal Code s.320.16(1) — the criminal counterpart to the HTA's fail to remain, which requires proof you knew the accident happened. Summary conviction carries up to two years less a day, a possible driving prohibition, and a criminal record. A licensed paralegal can act on a summary election; where the accident is alleged to have caused bodily harm or death, the charge falls outside paralegal scope and is referred to a lawyer.

The Crown's answer to almost every reason for leaving a collision is to ask why the driver did not simply call. On a Caledon concession road at night that question can have a real answer — no cell signal, no shoulder to stop on, no lighting and nobody around. It does not decide the case, but it is the one place where reasoning that works in a city does not transfer, and Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services makes sure the Orangeville court hears the conditions the driver was actually in. On scope, a paralegal may act on s.320.16(1); where the accident caused bodily harm or death, the matter goes to a lawyer.

Failing to stop after a collision involving another person, vehicle, or animal, with knowledge of the accident. The criminal counterpart to the HTA's Fail to Remain — escalates when injury or death is involved. Only the base offence at s.320.16(1) is within paralegal scope, on a summary election.

Courthouse
Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice)
Court Phone
(519) 941-5802
Consultation
Free & Confidential
i.

What the charge means

Section 320.16 of the Criminal Code prohibits a person involved in an accident with another conveyance, person, or animal from failing to stop and provide their name, address, and licence information, or fleeing the scene with knowledge of the accident.

ii.

Penalties

Hybrid. On summary election: up to 2 years less a day. On indictment: up to 10 years. Where the accident caused bodily harm the maximum rises to 14 years on indictment; where it caused death the offence is indictable only and carries up to life. A driving prohibition is available at the court's discretion. Criminal record on conviction.

iii.

Available defences

  • Lack of knowledge of the accident
  • Reasonable excuse for not stopping (e.g., fear for safety)
  • Identification of the driver
  • Charter compliance of the investigation
iv.

The process

If Crown elects summary, within paralegal scope. If indictable election is made (common for injury cases), we refer to a barrister. Disclosure focuses on the accused's knowledge of the accident.

v.

Notes for Caledon

Caledon traffic and Provincial Offences Act matters from Caledon OPP and the Town of Caledon bylaw are heard at the Caledon POA Court on Old Church Road. Criminal matters from Caledon proceed at the Orangeville Courthouse on Louisa Street.

Criminal Court

Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice)

10 Louisa Street, Orangeville, ON L9W 3P9

(519) 941-5802

Criminal matters from Caledon and Dufferin County.

Local practice notes reviewed 2026-09-11

Common Questions — Caledon

Where is a fail to stop after accident charge heard in Caledon?

Caledon fail to stop after accident matters are heard at Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice), 10 Louisa Street, Orangeville, ON L9W 3P9. The court's number is (519) 941-5802. Point Duty appears there.

Who lays fail to stop after accident charges in Caledon?

In Caledon, fail to stop after accident charges are laid by OPP. The charge is then heard at Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice).

How does the Crown handle fail to stop after accident in Caledon?

The Crown's office at Orangeville expects the same thing a Peel Crown does — the work started before the conversation about resolution happens. What differs is scale. It is a small office, so Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services tends to deal with the same prosecutor across a file's appearances rather than a different one each time, and a position taken early tends to hold.

Do I have to attend court in person in Caledon?

Orangeville runs virtual appearances the same way the larger courts do — case management can be attended virtually, while guilty pleas and trials are in person unless the court grants permission otherwise. It is a smaller courthouse than Brampton's or Toronto's, but it is not a different system, and Point Duty Traffic Court Defence and Legal Services appears there on the same footing.

What else should I know about Orangeville Courthouse (Ontario Court of Justice)?

Caledon criminal matters are heard at Orangeville, at 10 Louisa Street. Caledon and Orangeville are adjacent communities and the drive is not far. The court sits daily. It is a smaller courthouse than Brampton's, but it runs relatively similarly to other GTA courts, so a Caledon file is not on a slower or stranger track than a Mississauga or Brampton one — it is simply in a different Crown's office, with the OPP as the investigating service.
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