Day One of the Costco Crash Trial had Ruth Burger plead not guilty to the charges she is facing.
Defence Lawyer for Ruth Burger, Ron Ellis, talks to the media after Day One.
She told the court that in a soft and quiet voice.
She’s facing two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
Today, the court learned that the vehicle Ruth Burger was driving went from 11 km/h 5 seconds before the car crashed up to 46 km/h one second before it crashed into the store front, hitting Danah McKinnon-Bozek and her kids.
The Defence says Burger’s foot got caught underneath the brake.
Constable Trevor MacDonald of London Police was the first to testify. He says the brakes weren’t applied leading up the accident. He did note that they were very sensitive.
Costco Employee Brian Amaral testified Monday and he says it was speed that got his attention. He told the court that he still can’t believe what happened.
“You would never imagine something like this happening. You were just in shock and awe.”
Shopper Karen Humphries testified as well. She says she was five isles away where the accident happened. She said she is in the medical field and that her initial response was go and see if anyone need help. She recalls seeing blood and people on the ground when arriving to where the crash occurred.
She also recalled seeing Ruth Burger as completely distraught and remorse for what happened. She says that Ruth Burger said “Oh my God. I’m so sorry. What have I done?” moments after the crash took place.
Michael Carauana was with his co-worker and a patient leaving Costco when the accident. He says he heard loud revving sounds before the accident took place. He said the vehicle was a “red blur” as it was crashing into the building.
Defence Lawyer Ron Ellis believes the trial will be done sooner than Friday, the amount of time that was allotted for the case.
“My staff and I are heading back to the office to re-review statements of three officers that are on slate for Tuesday. I’ll be letting Mr. Fraser Ball (Crown) know whether or not we want to hear from them. If we don’t, then I expect we’re going to hear from the last group of civilian witnesses Tuesday morning, and we may hear from Ms. Burger by just after the lunch recess, much faster than we anticipated.”
The family of Danah McKinnon-Bozek say they don’t plan to make any statements. They did however quickly want to thank everyone for the support and encourage everyone to become an organ donor. They say no matter what the verdict is, it won’t change how both sides feel.
