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CTV News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Impaired Tesla driver who reached 196 km/h before deadly Wasaga Beach crash found guilty
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.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Crown calls man accused of driving 196 km/h while impaired ‘Morally bankrupt'
Jefferson Dance, 47, is pictured outside the courthouse in Barrie, Ont., on Wed., May 28, 2025. (CTV News / Mike Arsalides) Closing arguments were heard inside a Barrie, Ont. courtroom Wednesday in the trial of a Wasaga Beach man accused of driving nearly four times the legal limit at about 200 kilometres an hour prior to the deadly crash three years ago in Wasaga Beach. Jefferson Dance, 47, is on trial charged with dangerous and impaired driving causing the death of Jim Lynne, 62, whom the court heard was delivering pizzas at the time his Nissan Juke was crashed into from behind by a grey Tesla Model Y along Mosley Street just before midnight April 9, 2022. 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 Crown in delivering its closing arguments called Dance 'morally bankrupt' for getting behind the wheel with about four times the legal limit of alcohol in his system then driving his Tesla up to 196 km/h before crashing into the car driven by Lynne. The crash killed Lynne instantly, the court heard. Crown Attorney Indy Kandola told the court Dance turned Lynne's Nissan Juke 'into a soda can, crushing it.' The court was shown surveillance video inside a nearby bar where Dance and a friend shared drinks while watching a hockey game that night. They were in the bar for more than four hours. 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) 'He got in after drinking alcohol for hours and as soon as he got into his Tesla he started flying,' said the Crown. The court heard evidence from police, a vehicle believed to be Dance's Tesla was seen travelling 148km/h along Mosley Street seconds before the crash happened. The defence said the Crown could not prove the vehicle in question belonged to Dance. Related Articles: The court heard Dance, and his friend had gone out to dinner that night in Thornbury where they shared wo bottles of wine then went to the bar in Wasaga Beach about two kilometres from the crash site. The crash happened minutes after Dance and his friend were seen leaving the bar. 'He literally had the pedal to the metal,' said Kandola, 'Literally flooring it up until two seconds before the crash.' He said the vehicle driven by Dance hit the Nissan driven by Lynne from behind and sent it spinning before the Nissan landed on its roof. Lynn was travelling the speed limit, the Crown said, but looked stationary in comparison to the Tesla, which recorded the crash on several of its on-board cameras. There were no 'mechanical defects,' said the Crown. 'The speed was outrageous.' 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 defence for the first time in trial, Wednesday, all but conceded Dance was behind the wheel that night, however, his lawyer Robert Geurts told the court the case against Dance had several problems. 'This entire case has been misunderstood from the very beginning,' said the experienced defence lawyer. The defence called witness testimony in some instances absurd. Geurts alleged officers and witnesses 'accommodated' their evidence that was then 'tainted' because of pressures and a perceived rush to judgement. Geurts also took aim at the crash reconstructionist from the OPP, who was qualified as an expert witness in collision reconstruction. Geurts called the report findings wrong. The defence did not call any evidence in trial but suggested to the OPP crash reconstructionist there may have been a defect in the Tesla that caused it to speed up on its own. Data had been provided by Tesla to police, of the final five seconds prior to the crash, from the vehicle's Airbag Control Module. Tesla 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 defence alleged the vehicle should have decelerated without pressure applied to the pedal, but it accelerated instead. The defence said it did not dispute toxicology results based on blood drawn from Dance in hospital following the crash which showed Dance had between three and a half to four times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood. 'You cannot come to the conclusion he was the most blameworthy and put the pedal to the metal' as the Crown suggested, he said. Justice Mark Edwards is scheduled to deliver his judgement next Tuesday.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- CTV News
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. Related Article:
CTV News
21-05-2025
- CTV News
Officer testifies speeding car was clocked 148 km/h prior to deadly Wasaga Beach crash
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 on May 21, 2025. (CTV News / Mike Arsalides)
