'We have nothing. That’s what he left us with': Sentencing hearing begins for driver found guilty in fatal crash
A sentencing hearing got underway Monday morning in a London, Ont. courtroom for a man found guilty in connection a collision that claimed the life of a wife and mother.
Speaking outside the courthouse after delivering her victim impact statement, Anne Jones said her family continues to grapple with the loss of her daughter, Sarah, "We have no pictures. We have no love songs. We have nothing. That's what he left us with.”
Sarah Jones, 39, died after an industrial vacuum truck lost control and toppled on top of her car on Jan. 6, 2021.
The crash happened at the corner of Jackson Road and Bradley Avenue.
This past December, the driver of the truck, 39-year-old Christopher Hamilton, was found guilty of dangerous driving causing death.
In her statement, Anne Jones talked about her husband driving to the scene of the collision.
He was with his grandson Levi at the time, Sarah’s oldest. He parked where Levi couldn't see the massive truck laying on its side on the 2015 Hyundai.
Anne Jones, Sarah's mom, outside the London Courthouse on March 11, 2024. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
As emergency crews worked to free her, Baddrie Jones stood outside his vehicle praying and hoping he would see his daughter again.
"Nothing is going to bring her back. I talk about her. I can talk about her with friends,” Anne Jones told CTV News. “My husband and I, we don't mention her name in our home."
Anne Jones told the court that on the night of the fatal crash, while tucking three-year-old Levi into bed, Sarah's husband Mark couldn't bring himself to tell Levi that his mom had passed away.
She said, even without hearing those words, Levi looked up at his father and said, "Even if mommy doesn't come home again that he would take care of him."
She told the court they both cried and Levi gathered himself and began singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” to his father.
Hamilton's lawyer, Luke Reidy, is asking for a conditional sentence of 12 to 18 months, two years probation, and a two-year driving prohibition.
Sarah Jones is seen in this undated photo from her LinkedIn profile.
The Crown is asking for an six-year prison sentence, along with a three-year driving prohibition.
Arguing that being a truck driver carries a larger burden of responsibility, Assistant Crown Konrad De Koning made it clear that he wanted a sentence that would send a message not only to Christopher Hamilton, but to all professional truck drivers.
Anne Jones agreed with that approach, "That's what's so important; that they realize that they have a loaded gun in their hand and they have to be responsible."
Meena Krishnamurthy spoke on behalf of the group of friends that Sarah was part of for more than 25 years.
In her victim impact statement, she told the court how vital Sarah was in binding them together. The friends, and Sarah’s family members, wore buttons with Sarah's face on them.
Superior Court Justice Lynne Leitch will deliver her sentence on April 9.
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