The man accused in the collision that claimed the life of a 34-year-old woman and injured her four children has been found not guilty.
Terry Jackson was charged with dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm several weeks after the crash near Oasis on October 1, 2022.
Two witnesses testified seeing a northbound pickup truck drift across the shoulder of Hwy 22 twice before driving into the southbound lane and colliding with an SUV.
Both said the vehicle was able to correct back on to the highway after the drifting incidents and one told court he said “no this isn’t happening” seconds before the fatal head-on crash moments later.
They said the vehicle was traveling at around the 90 km/hour speed limit.
Jackson testified he was upset about his girlfriend taking his jeep and his elderly dog following an argument the night before.
The 57-year-old admitted he reached twice to answer calls to the dash mounted cell phone, but maintained he kept the vehicle under control.
Jackson told court he thought his girlfriend may have left the dog along the highway, decided he would turn around to check out rest stops and looked in his rearview mirror after passing one.
Once focusing ahead, he testified to seeing a “flash of light” just before the collision and ended up in the ditch.
Judge Craig Sicotte said he rejected Jackson’s entire testimony, pointing to inconsistencies and omissions with his statements to police.
Sicotte noted the testimony of one of the witnesses who said he would have called police if the truck continued to drift off the highway after the first two incidents.
Sicotte noted that a mother of four lost her life and two of her children suffered broken clavicles.
The judge also spoke of the emotional trauma suffered by the witnesses and Jackson who spoke of feeling sadness and guilt since the collision.
Sicotte surmised even the most prudent drivers make mistakes
He said the case came down to Jackson’s state of mind, whether he realized continuing the trip along the highway toward Genelle would pose a dangerous risk and could not make that conclusion beyond a reasonable doubt.
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