Impaired Tesla driver who reached 196 km/h before deadly Wasaga Beach crash found guilty

CTV News

2 days ago

Jefferson Dance, 47, is pictured outside the courthouse in Barrie, Ont., on Wed., May 28, 2025. (CTV News / Mike Arsalides)
The Wasaga Beach, Ont. man accused of driving drunk and reaching a top speed of 196 kilometres per hour moments prior to a deadly crash three years ago in Wasaga Beach has been convicted of impaired and dangerous driving causing death.
Jefferson Dance, 47, was found guilty by Justice Mark Edwards in a Barrie courtroom following a trial in which the defence did not call any evidence.
The crash happened April 9, 2022, along Mosley Street in Wasaga Beach and killed Jim Lynne, 62, as he delivered pizzas in his Nissan Juke, which was rear-ended by the Tesla driven by Dance, the court heard.
Dance did not wish to provide comment on the judgement as he left the courthouse.
Jefferson Dance
Jefferson Dance, 47, is on trial charged with dangerous and impaired driving causing death in the crash April 9, 2022, along Mosley Street in Wasaga Beach. Jim Lynne, 62, died of his injuries in the crash. (Court Exhibit)
The court heard Dance was driving drunk following a night out with a friend, who told the court they shared two bottles of wine followed by coffee liqueurs at a restaurant in Thornbury, then drinks at a bar hours later in Wasaga Beach. The men were seen on surveillance video leaving the bar just prior to midnight, minutes from when the crash occurred.
Dance was found to have been between three and four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system and officers reported he was seen swaying and unstable.
In his judgement, Justice Mark Edwards said the crash was 'most definitely not an accident.' He added the Tesla was travelling 165 kilometres per hour the moment it crashed into the back of Lynne's Nissan, and only started braking a second-and-a-half prior to the collision he described as 'catastrophic.'
The Tesla, according to data provided by its airbag control module that recorded information from the final five seconds leading up to the crash, was found to have been excessively speeding for a sustained period of time between the vehicle leaving the bar and resting at the crash site.
An officer told the court he clocked a vehicle believed to be the grey Tesla Model Y travelling 148 kilometres per hour about a minute before he arrived on scene of the crash. The judge found the vehicle in question was driven by Dance.
Tesla
Jefferson Dance, 47, is accused of speeding and crashing his grey Model Y Tesla second prior to midnight April 9, 2022, when the car driven by Jim Lynne was hit from behind along Mosley Street. (Court Exhibit)
Justice Edwards ruled Dance 'chose to and intended' to drive impaired, and there was no evidence before the court that the Tesla experienced a sudden period of 'uncontrolled acceleration' while travelling 'grossly' in excess of the speed limit.
The defence argued investigators rushed to judgement in determining that the cause of the crash was the result of impairment. The judge called suggestions and theories proposed by the defence 'fanciful' and rejected assertions made by the defence that other factors may have led to the deadly collision.
'I have no doubt that any reasonable person would have foreseen the risk of driving at the high rate of speed Mr. Dance was driving,' said Justice Edwards, who ruled Dance was driving with a 'high level' of intoxication, while making no attempt to avoid the 'tragic' consequences.
The defence had suggested a defect with the Tesla Model Y had led to a sudden acceleration between 188 and 196 kilometres per hour when Dance did not have his foot on the pedal. The judge did not accept the argument and agreed with the OPP collision reconstruction expert who believed the vehicle was travelling at sustained high speeds.
Defence lawyer Robert Geurts insisted in court and told CTV News an investigation into possible defects with the Tesla Model Y is ongoing south of the border.
'Developments in the United States are still happening,' said Geurts. 'We're interested to see what happens there, but we feel the loss for the family.'
Lynne's family was in attendance and exited the courthouse pleased the man responsible for killing their brother has been found guilty and will be sentenced for what the judge called a preventable tragedy.
'[Dance] never apologized to me,' said Lynne's sister Ila Barnes. 'I see a lot of crocodile tears and shoulders going up and down, but no, I don't feel he has any remorse.'
Jim Lynne
Jim Lynne, 62, died of his injuries in the April 9, 2022 crash along Mosley Street in Wasaga Beach. (Supplied)
The defence has requested a pre-sentence report which typically requires six to eight weeks to be completed to give the court a better understanding of Dance's personal background.
Dance, who remains out on bail, was ordered to surrender his passport to police. Lynne's family prepares to see justice done while mourning the loss of their brother.
'He should be with us enjoying our Christmases,' said his sister. 'He knows he's missed, and I know he's around us.'
Dance's sentencing hearing is scheduled to begin in September.