Diallo 'innocent' lawyers say on final day of Westboro bus crash trial
Aissatou Diallo's lawyers say what happened at Westboro station in January 2019 was a tragic accident that could have happened to anyone.
"Factors far beyond her control conspired together and they lead to a tragic result," Soloman Friedman told court. "In our law, tragic results are not automatically punished by criminal liability."
The defence said Diallo, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of dangerous driving causing death and 35 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, was misled by lane markings on the road left over from construction which they say explains why she veered to the right before the bus slammed into two snowbanks, a rockface and then the shelter.
"There's no question at that point the sun is bright. It's blinding, it's directly in front of her," Friedman said.
In its submissions, the Crown said Diallo never braked or steered away.
"Recovery in that ice and snow-covered gutter would be difficult if not impossible," Friedman said, adding Diallo did try to steer away but didn't brake because she was taught not to under those conditions.
The Crown also contends Diallo wasn't paying attention, was speeding and didn't have control of the bus. Diallo's lawyer said while speed isn't irrelevant, "there's no legal speed limit on the Transitway."
"At the time Ms. Diallo was trained there was no formal approach to…ensure you got sufficient training on the type of bus that you would be driving more often," Friedman said of her training.
Friedman also said there's no evidence of distracted driving and that Diallo is "not just not guilty, she's innocent."
A date for the judge to deliver his verdict will be set on July 26.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.