Impaired Tesla driver who reached top speed of 196 km/h seeks appeal days after sentence

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A Wasaga Beach man convicted of impaired and dangerous driving causing death in a horrific crash nearly four years ago, is seeking an appeal.

Jefferson Dance, 48, has filed a notice of appeal with the Court of Appeal for Ontario seeking bail pending his appeal hearing, according to the court. Dance remains in custody after he was sentenced November 12 in Barrie.

Jim Lynne, 62, was killed in the crash when Dance’s Tesla crashed into the back of Lynne’s Nissan Juke at around midnight along Mosley Street in Wasaga Beach. Lynne was delivering pizzas in town at the time of the crash. Dance had been captured on surveillance video leaving a bar nearby where he spent several hours with a friend.

“Jefferson needs to take responsibility for what he did and serve his eight years,” said Lynne’s stepdaughter Osean Gravel. “Now I found out that he is trying to get bail again. He had bail, he did three and a half years on bail after killing my stepdad. He got to walk. My stepdad didn’t get to walk. Jim deserves justice.”

Dance was found guilty in June following trial before Justice Mark Edwards, who ruled the Crown proved beyond a reasonable doubt Dance was guilty of driving his Tesla Model Y at almost “unbelievable” speeds with between three and four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

Dance filed his notice of appeal two days after he was sentenced to eight years behind bars. The appeal claims Justice Edwards rejected Dance’s argument that his Tesla Model Y may have malfunctioned the night of the crash, when the court heard Dance, after a night out drinking with a friend, got behind the wheel and travelled at speeds between 160 and 196 km/h in the moments leading up to the crash.

Defence lawyer Robert Geurts told the court, during trial, there was an ongoing investigation in the U.S. into “unanticipated acceleration” by the Tesla Model Y.

Geurts said Justice Edwards erred in his decision, finding the speeds Dance travelled that night as an aggravating factor in his decision, while not giving appropriate consideration to a letter presented to the court by the defence claiming the Tesla Model Y may have had a defect similar to what was being investigated in the U.S.

Lynne’s family is angry, imploring Dance to take responsibility for his actions.

“My family has suffered enough, let it be. Just take your time and respect us. That is all we want,” said Gravel.

The court heard, Lynne often drove a shuttle getting people home after a night out drinking. His family wants Dance to stay in prison and serve his sentence for killing Lynne in what Justice Edwards called a senseless and totally avoidable tragedy.

“He needs to be behind bars and take responsibility for what he did to my stepdad. He killed him, enough is enough.”

The Court of Appeal confirmed Dance now has 90 days to perfect his appeal as he seeks bail early in the new year.