Family of man killed in Wasaga Beach crash breaks silence ahead of trial

Family remembers man killed in Wasaga Beach crash Jim Lynne died April 9, 2022. The man charged with drunk driving causing death will stand trial next May.

The family of Jim Lynne is speaking out for the first time since his death in a crash in Wasaga Beach two years ago as the man accused of drunk driving that night prepares to head to trial.

Lynne's loved ones continue to grieve their loss, including his stepdaughter Osean Gravel.

"[He] took a part of me and took a part of my heart and I’ll never get that back," she said.

"He used to call me his princess, and knowing that I can’t hear him calling me his princess anymore, I’m just heartbroken. I feel like I lost a big part of my world," added Lynne's stepgranddaughter Haven Gravel.

Lynne died along Mosley Street on the night of April 9, 2022, following a crash with an alleged speeding and drunk driver.

His family said Lynne was making a food delivery in town when the vehicle he was driving was struck so hard it rolled twice and landed upside down on its roof.

He was 62.

"For him to die the way he did was devastating. Because he was always the safe place, the safe driver. He made sure everybody was safe," Osean said.

The man charged with dangerous and impaired driving causing death is 46-year-old Jefferson Dance. His lawyer previously told CTV News his client maintains his innocence and looks forward to being tried.

Lynne's family is hoping for justice.

"We’re hoping, in the long run, that justice will be served, and my family will have closure. We will never have complete closure, but will have some sort of closure with this," Osean noted.

Lynne married Osean's mother in 2015. Despite his wife's passing in 2020, Lynne, who didn't have children of his own, remained a devoted part of the Gravel family.

"He was amazing to my mom and us, and he treated everyone with the most respect, and he was very well respected by the community," Osean said. "We love him and miss him dearly every day."

The 14-day jury trial is scheduled to begin next year.

The allegations against Dance have not been tested in court.