A drunk driver who killed a Somali immigrant and severely injured her daughter when he ran them over as they were walking across a Niagara Falls intersection, then fled the scene only to crash into two parked cars a short distance away, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.
John Franco Bonaldo met friends at a restaurant on the evening of Nov. 16, 2024. The Ontario Court of Justice heard the 32-year-old consumed six pints of beer over four hours before getting behind the wheel at 12:42 a.m.
“Every drunk driver is a potential killer. That this does not happen in most cases of drunk driving is simply a matter of chance,” Justice Joseph De Filippis wrote in a recent decision.
“The direction I take from Parliament and decisions of other judges is that those who take this chance and harm others will pay a heavy price, especially if they flee from the scene to avoid detection, and notwithstanding that they are otherwise of good character.”
Dahiro Hussein Hasan and her adult daughter, Fadumo Cali Aden, arrived here from Somalia in January 2024 “eager to pursue their dreams of a better life in Canada,” said the judge.
“Ms. Aden found employment, during the night shift, as a laundry attendant at a hotel in Niagara Falls. She walked to that job, always escorted by her mother.”
Minutes after Bonaldo left the restaurant, he struck the mother and daughter.
“Ms. Hassan was killed. Ms. Aden sustained life altering injuries. Mr. Bonaldo did not remain at the scene,” De Filippis said.
Bonaldo pleaded guilty to impaired operation of a conveyance causing death, impaired operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, and failure to stop after an accident, knowing death or serious bodily harm resulting in death had been caused.
“Within ten months of arrival, the dreams Ms. Hasan and Ms. Aden brought to Canada were shattered,” said the judge.
The Crown recommended Bonaldo get eight years behind bars. The defence lawyer argued for six.
“I conclude that the Crown’s position is a measured response to the offence and offender,” De Filippis said in his decision dated Jan. 5.
“As a result of the collision, Ms. Aden was thrown an approximate distance of 13 meters and slid another four meters southbound on the roadway. Ms. Hasan was thrown approximately seven meters southwest of the point of collision off the road.”
Bonaldo “did not stop following the collision,” said the judge. “He continued driving southbound on Drummond Road for approximately 150 meters, before making a right-hand turn onto Culp Street. The defendant continued west on Culp Street for approximately 150 meters before colliding with two parked vehicles. His vehicle was disabled.”
When police arrested Bonaldo, he “smelled of alcohol and admitted to consuming it,” said the decision. “Several empty beer cans were found in the defendant’s motor vehicle, including one in the driver’s footwell. The defendant was cooperative with police and apologetic.”
When cops got Bonaldo to a police station, he blew over twice the legal limit on a breathalyzer.
Hassan was pronounced dead at the scene.
Paramedics rushed Aden to the Hamilton General Hospital Trauma Unit where she was treated for multiple fractures, including a broken vertebra, said the decision. She underwent surgery and was discharged from the hospital on Nov. 26, 2024.
Adan told the court that her pain she endures is not just physical; “it is accompanied by the emotional agony of losing my mother, who had been my rock and my guiding light.”
She is now living with disabilities “that make daily life incredibly challenging. I can no longer generate income to support myself as I once did, and I depend on others for help. Simple tasks like cooking and taking care of myself, which I used to manage easily, have become monumental struggles. Each day is a battle against both physical pain and the emotional weight of my trauma.”
Adan said the support she has received from the community since her mother’s death has been overwhelming.
“Relatives, neighbours, and the community at large have rallied around me, offering assistance and encouragement during this challenging time,” she said in a victim impact statement.
“This outpouring of kindness has been instrumental in my healing process, reminding me that there is still goodness in the world, even amidst tragedy.”
Bonaldo submitted 29 letters of support from family, friends, his employer and co-workers.
He “addressed the court and apologized to victim and to his family and has let himself down,” said the decision. “He added that he will never forget what he has done.”
The first offender has always been steadily employed, said the judge.
“He does not have dependents. The theme that emerges from all sources is that these offences are out of character, that the defendant is not a bad person, but one who made a bad decision to drink and drive. It appears that the defendant had recently begun abusing alcohol because of a difficult intimate relationship. He is consumed with remorse. He has not had a drink of alcohol since this event and volunteers weekly at a soup kitchen to do something good for the community to atone for his actions. ”
The judge also handed Bonaldo an eighteen-year driving prohibition.
“By law, this begins immediately and reflects my intent to impose a 10-year driving prohibition for the period after imprisonment,” De Filippis said.
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