Officer testifies speeding car was clocked 148 km/h prior to deadly Wasaga Beach crash

Day two of the trial of a Wasaga Beach man heard witness testimony from a forensic toxicologist, nurse, police officer and investigator.

Day two of the trial of a Wasaga Beach man charged with dangerous and impaired driving heard witness testimony from a forensic toxicologist, nurse, police officer and investigator.

Jefferson Dance, 47, is accused of speeding and crashing his grey Model Y Tesla seconds prior to midnight April 9, 2022, when the car driven by Jim Lynne was hit from behind along Mosley Street.

The forensic toxicologist who examined the blood sample taken from Dance in hospital following the crash testified Dance had a blood alcohol concentration about three and a half times the legal limit with a range between 270 and 305 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

The horrific video played for the court showed the seconds before the Tesla appears to smash into the back of the Nissan Juke driven by Lynne.

The Crown alleges Dance was driving drunk and dangerously reached a top speed of 196 km/h a second-and-a-half prior to the crash.

The toxicologist spoke to the effects alcohol impairment has on driving, steering, and processing information including speed and distance when approaching other objects and cars.

A police officer testified seeing what he believed to be a grey vehicle speeding along Mosley Street that night and recorded the vehicle at 148 km/h with a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) gun.

About a minute later, the officer said he saw a grey Tesla stopped on the road ahead of a heavily damaged overturned vehicle.

An advanced-care paramedic testified arriving on scene moments later. He testified he checked on the man inside the Nissan and noticed extensive injuries to Lynne’s chest, arm, and legs.

As the paramedic described his efforts to save Lynne’s life, Dance wiped tears from his eyes in the courtroom.

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A nurse who treated Dance after the crash testified the accused told her his head felt like it was “on fire” and “burning.” The witness recalled Dance saying he could not live with himself if something happened to his friend, who was with him in the Tesla during the crash.

The man told the court Tuesday, he and Dance shared two bottles of wine at a restaurant in Thornbury over dinner before having drinks in a Wasaga Beach restaurant while watching the Toronto Maple Leafs game. Surveillance video captured the men sitting at the bar for more than four hours. The man testified he could not recall how many drinks they had in Wasaga Beach.

He said Dance was driving when the crash happened minutes later. The man testified he was impaired and looking at down at his phone when the cars crashed into one another.

The trial is scheduled to continue tomorrow with further Crown witness testimony.