Southwold, Ont. area woman on trial for impaired driving causing death lost sister in similar accident

Amanda Manion-Lewington, a young mother of one, was only 20-years-old when she died in a violent crash on Oneida of the Thames First Nation on March 11, 2020.

On Tuesday, a London, Ont. courtroom heard that she had been drinking from a bottle of Bacardi in a car with friends which included the accused Cindy Peters, 32, and another passenger, Kaylee Antone.

Testifying as the first witness, Antone said, “I had a vision that we were going to hit something...I was just scared.”

She added, “I told Cindy to slow down before we hit the stop sign and that’s when I blacked out.”

Antone said after the crash, which occurred at an intersection along Ball Park Road, Amanda was not moving at all and the accused was screaming her name.

Antone added that when paramedics arrived, Amanda was covered up and she was taken to hospital by helicopter.

Peters was charged and has pleaded not guilty to impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm and impaired driving.

Last October, Peters spoke with CTV News London outside the courthouse after a similar incident in which another woman, Kelly Jacobs, was found guilty of impaired driving causing death in connection with Peters’ younger sister Beulah, who died in 2018 after being struck by a pick-up.

On Tuesday, Antone testified that on the night of the crash she was involved in, Peters spoke of her sister’s death and that she was still upset and said, “Cindy said she missed her sister...you could just hear it in her voice.”

Antone, who has since recovered from her injuries said that now, “I’m terrified with people driving too fast and getting into the car with somebody drinking and driving.”

The Peters trial is slated to last two weeks.