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The defendant was found guilty of careless driving causing death and stunt driving after engaging in a high-speed street race.
The defendant, Olavo Williams-Cordeiro, was charged with careless driving causing death and stunt driving following a high-speed incident on Highway 403.
The court found that the defendant, along with a motorcyclist and another car, were engaged in a joint enterprise of racing, driving at speeds significantly exceeding the limit (up to 193 km/hr for the defendant's vehicle).
The motorcyclist collided with a vehicle lacking rear lights and died.
The court determined that the defendant's driving behaviour, characterized by excessive speed, tandem driving, and dangerous lane changes in the dark, fell below the standard of a reasonably prudent driver, constituting careless driving.
The court rejected the defence argument that the collision occurred through no fault of the defendant, emphasizing that the dangerous activity of racing created a foreseeable risk, and the presence of a vehicle without lights was a foreseeable highway hazard.
The defendant was found guilty of both charges, with the Kienapple principle to be considered for sentencing.
Accused acquitted of dangerous driving causing death; U-turn on blind hill deemed momentary lapse in judgment.
The accused was charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death after his minivan, which was positioned perpendicularly across the eastbound lane near the crest of a blind hill, was struck by a motorcycle.
The collision resulted in the deaths of the motorcycle operator and passenger.
The court found that while the accused's driving was objectively dangerous, the Crown failed to prove the requisite objective mens rea beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court concluded that the accused's conduct amounted to a momentary lapse in judgment due to his unfamiliarity with the road and the lack of warning signs, rather than a marked departure from the standard of care expected of a reasonable person.
The accused was acquitted of both counts.