Monday marked the 37th year since the death of Miles Gilbert “Tim” Horton.
The former Maple Leafs defenceman, now best known for having his name slapped on millions of coffee cups and donut bags across Canada, died on Feb. 21, 1974 after an auto accident while en route to Buffalo after a game in Toronto.
But how much do we really know about that fateful night?
Horton’s autopsy file was kept under wraps until Ottawa Citizen reporter Glen McGregor was able to obtain it via Ontario’s Freedom of Information law. McGregor wrote a story based on the file in 2005, keeping the actual file to himself.
Until now.
McGregor released the full report on Horton’s death through his blog on Sunday. The file goes into remarkable detail describing the numerous injuries sustained by Horton, the amount of drugs and alcohol (twice the legal limit) in his system, the officer’s explanation of the crash and photos and a diagram of the crash scene.
Interestingly, the file also lists the valuables on Horton at his time of death.
They include:
- Gold ring valued at $200
- Waltham 17 jewel watch, $100
- Brown suede jacket, $50
- Seven different credit cards
- $205 in Canadian and American currency
- Cheque from the Buffalo Sabres for $1,792.97
Warning: Some of the medical details may be disturbing to some readers.
Click here to see the autopsy report.
Full credit to McGregor for obtaining and releasing the document.
