Jury hears evidence that brake pedal felt like gas pedal in deadly crash

A London, Ont. jury heard evidence that the elderly woman involved in a crash that killed an eight-year-old Girl Guide told police the brake pedal felt like the gas pedal.

London Police Service Const. Blair Jackson was called out as the lead member of the Collision Reconstruction Unit on Nov. 30, 2021 after a group of Girl Guides was struck by a speeding Honda CRV.

The officer said he reviewed dozens of photos and data collected from the scene, including an interview with the driver herself, 78-year-old Petronella McNorgan.

He told the jury, “The following is a remark directly from the McNorgan statement, 'As I tried to hit the brakes to slow down for the red light the car just sort of sped up, the opposite of what is supposed to happen when you hit the brakes.'"

Jackson added, “When asked how the brake pedal felt, McNorgan said, 'Like a gas pedal.'"

One young girl was killed and seven others were injured as they walked along Riverside Drive near Wonderland Road.

McNorgan was charged by police and has pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal negligence causing death and seven counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

The officer told the jury from the data they retrieved, they found that the vehicle was travelling 111 km/h when it went through the intersection at Wonderland Road and Riverside Drive. At the time of impact, the vehicle was travelling 103 km/h.

He agreed with a number of other Crown witnesses that after examining the vehicle, the condition did not play a factor in this case.

“This was a preventable collision due to driver input,” he said.

A ban on publication has been placed on identifying any of the young victims involved in the crash.

The trial, now into its second week, resumes on Wednesday.