Defence suggests Tesla had defect that caused ‘unexpected acceleration' prior to deadly crash
The defence lawyer for a Wasaga Beach man suggested his client's Tesla may have had a defect that unexpectedly caused the vehicle to accelerate.
The defence lawyer for a Wasaga Beach man suggested his client's Tesla may have had a defect that unexpectedly caused the vehicle to accelerate.
The defence lawyer for a Wasaga Beach man charged with dangerous and impaired driving causing death suggested his client's Tesla may have had a defect that unexpectedly caused the vehicle to accelerate prior to the wreck.
Experienced defence counsel Robert Geurts cross-examined an OPP collision re-constructionist Thursday inside a Barrie courtroom on the third day of trial.
Jefferson Dance, 47, is alleged to have been driving the speeding 2021 Tesla Model Y that police said crashed into the back of a Nissan Juke driven by Jim Lynne seconds prior to midnight April 9, 2022.
Jefferson Dance
Jefferson Dance, 47, is alleged to have been driving the speeding 2021 Tesla Model Y that police said crashed into the back of a Nissan Juke driven by Jim Lynne seconds prior to midnight April 9, 2022. This is Dance walking out of court on May 22, 2025. (CTV News/ Mike Arsalides)
The crash that killed Lynne, who died of blunt impact trauma when his vehicle was seen spinning and rolling before landing on its roof. Lynne had been delivering pizzas at the time of the crash.
The defence suggested to the officer the Tesla sped up from 188 to 196 km/h between five and a second-and-a-half prior to the crash despite decreased pressure applied to its pedal.
The veteran officer said the Tesla did not appear to suddenly accelerate, as the defence had suggested, and was travelling at sustained high speeds. The defence became frustrated by the officer's responses to repeated questions about the perceived discrepancy.
The expert witness testified for about three hours Thursday telling the court about his findings in a collision reconstruction report which found no defects in the Tesla and concluded its brakes and steering were in proper working order at the time of the crash.
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)
Dance has been identified by his friend as the driver that night. His friend told the court he and Dance went to dinner in Thornbury at 5 p.m. and shared two bottles of red wine along with Bailey's liqueur and coffees before returning to Wasaga Beach for more drinks at a bar not far from the crash site. The men were seen leaving the restaurant, where they'd been for four hours watching a hockey game, minutes prior to the crash.
Blood drawn from Dance in hospital following the crash showed a blood alcohol concentration between three and a half and four times the legal limit. He told a nurse, according to her testimony Wednesday, his head felt like it was burning and on fire.
During questioning, Geurts pushed the witness about data received from the vehicle's airbag control module which recorded key information including the Tesla's speed and the percentage its pedal was being pressed in the final five seconds prior to the crash. He suggested to the witness reduced pressure on the pedal should have produced slower speed readings, but the data, provided by Tesla, showed otherwise.
The defence has not conceded Dance was behind the wheel of the Tesla. His friend insisted Dance was driving the Tesla that night and, the court heard, pointed to Dance when an officer on scene asked who was driving the Tesla. Dance was also witnessed leaning on the driver's side of the Tesla's hood, by a man who rushed to the scene to check on Lynne who was upside-down and lifeless inside his car.
The trial is scheduled to resume next week.
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