Elderly woman on trial in roadside death of 8-year-old Girl Guide

A chaotic scene was described in a London, Ont. courtroom as the trial of a senior citizen charged in the roadside crash that killed a young girl got underway on Monday.

After the jury was selected, they heard how in a matter of seconds a Girl Guide outing on Nov. 30, 2021 turned deadly.

Const. Jennifer Hewerdine of the London Police Service was off duty as she drove home from work along Riverside Drive near Wonderland Road when she came upon the crash that injured seven people and killed an eight-year-old girl.

Hewerdine told the court, “I saw a bunch of people lying by the sidewalk...I saw a young girl laying on her back, she wasn’t moving.”

She added, “I checked and she wasn’t breathing so I started CPR.”

The girl would be rushed to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Investigators would charge Petronella McNorgan, 78, with one count of criminal negligence causing death and seven counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

In court she pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

In the Crown’s opening address, Artem Orlov told the jury that evidence would show that McNorgan’s Honda CRV reached speeds of more than 100 kilometres an hour before it struck a tree, light standard and the victims.

“When she enters the intersection the speed of her vehicle is in the range of 120 kilometres per hour,” he said.

As the Crown opened its case, a ban on publication was placed on identifying any of the young victims involved in the crash.

Outside the courthouse, McNorgan’s defence lawyer Phil Millar made their position clear.

“This was an accident. Ninety-seven percent of collisions on the road are accidents, driver error, and this is the exact same circumstance,” he said.

The trial is slated to last the next two weeks.