Verdict at 2019 Westboro bus crash trial expected Sept. 22
The verdict at the trial for the Ottawa bus driver charged in the January 2019 fatal crash at the Westboro station will be handed down in two months.
Aissatou Diallo’s lawyer Soloman Friedman told CTV News Ottawa on Monday that the judge will deliver the verdict on Sept. 22 at 9:15 a.m.
Diallo, 44, was charged in August 2019 with three counts of dangerous driving causing death, and 35 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
Diallo pleaded not guilty.
Three people were killed and 23 others were injured when an OC Transpo double-decker bus struck an overhang at the Westboro Station at 3:50 p.m. on Jan. 11, 2019.
Friedman told the court during closing arguments in June that what happened at the station was a tragic accident that could have happened to anyone. The defence said Diallo 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 crashes into snowbanks, a rockface and then the shelter.
"Factors far beyond her control conspired together and they lead to a tragic result," Friedman told court. "In our law, tragic results are not automatically punished by criminal liability."
The Crown said Diallo never braked or steered away.
Closing arguments wrapped up on June 2. The judge announced on Monday when a verdict will be delivered.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Katie Griffin
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
NEW Where to watch the state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney
A state funeral for former prime minister Brian Mulroney will be held in Montreal on March 23. CTV News will have live special coverage of his funeral service.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
NEW High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.