REGINA — A woman who was killed a year ago when a freight truck smashed through a bus shelter she was inside might have survived had the driver hit the brakes, a trial in Regina heard Tuesday. Sgt. Tanner Maurice, who's in charge of collision reconstruction, testified the operator of the truck, Biniam Emaha, did not slam on the brakes at any time during the October 2025 crash. Had he done so, Maurice testified, it's possible Emaha could have stopped short of the bus shelter. The 45-year-old is charged with dangerous driving causing death in the crash, which saw his truck hit another vehicle before swerving and smashing into the bus shelter. Marvellous Ugochukwu, 19, died of blunt force trauma to the head. Maurice, citing a report that found no skid marks from the truck, told court it's believed Emaha was driving 58 km/h when he ran a red light and hit another vehicle. That first crash would have slowed down the truck to 50 km/h, Maurice said. Had he braked at that point, he would have had ended up "one metre shorter of the bus stop," the officer said. "It could have taken him over four seconds to come to a complete stop, meaning Marvellous may have had time to recognize imminent danger and escape," Maurice told court. He added, "The collision was caused by the truck not obeying the red light." Earlier Tuesday, the trial heard Emaha had told police he thought the light was green. Emaha had made the comment in an interview with an officer hours after the crash. A video of the interview was presented in court. "It was green," Emaha tells the officer just after 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 12, four hours after the crash. "I hit that car and I lost my control and I swerved to the right. There was a bus station right on the corner and I hit that. "There was somebody." Emaha had also told the officer he was driving 50 km/h. In the video, Emaha speaks softly when he tells the officer about smashing into the bus shelter. His arms are crossed and his head is down. "It's tough," the officer tells him. Emaha had told the officer he had moved to Regina from Africa in 2023. He's from Eritrea and came to Canada with his wife and two children. He said he began delivery contract work with the Saskatchewan Health Authority in 2024. On the day of the crash, he was taking supplies from one hospital to another. The collision happened in rainy conditions at the intersection of Elphinstone Street and Dewdney Avenue. Another driver that day said he was going through the intersection on a green light when Emaha’s truck hit him from the side. Elijah Stonechild, 23, testified Monday that as he began driving through the intersection, he looked right and saw the truck driving straight toward him. "All I could do was brace," he told court. Photos of Stonechild’s car presented in court show the passenger side was crumpled and one headlight had popped out. Another driver, Camryn Lehne, was also travelling near the intersection that day. She testified she was preparing to stop at the intersection because her light was red. Her vehicle was opposite Emaha's, and she told court she assumed his light was also red. Michael Brodt, a traffic signal systems analyst with the City of Regina, also testified Tuesday there is no scenario where all green lights at the intersection would be on at the same time. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 3, 2026. Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
