A manoeuvre between two off-road Jeeps that led to the death of an onlooker at a charity function was an unplanned event that happened at the request of a news cameraman, a fatality inquiry heard Thursday.
The driver of the Jeep that hit and killed the Edmonton woman during the off-road demonstration said the vehicle “launched” when he turned the key in the ignition.
Craig Supernault was “stacking” his vehicle — a common demonstration where one Jeep climbs up the front wheel of another, displaying the flexibility of its suspension.
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The performance was taking place on May 18, 2013, in the parking lot of a downtown shopping mall, with a crowd of about 100 watching from distances of between two and seven metres. It was a display of modified Jeeps with some demonstrations of their capabilities.
When “stacking,” the vehicles were to hold the formation with their engines off and brakes engaged, then slowly dismount in reverse.
Craig Supernault, who was testifying at the fatality inquiry into the death of 20-year-old Melinda Green, said he’d done the manoeuvre about 15 times in the past.
He described how he got out of the vehicle to let people take pictures, then climbed back in and placed his feet on the clutch and the brake.
“I looked up and turned the key,” he said, leaving a long silence before continuing.
“The Jeep launched, full throttle, with the brakes engaged and the clutch in.
“It was immediate. It was like it was waiting,” the tearful driver said.
Supernault said he tried to turn off the key, then grabbed for the gear shift.
“I saw a girl on the roof of another Jeep. I thought if I could use that Jeep to stop mine, it would be over.”
Supernault’s Jeep slammed into that Jeep and flipped on its side, the engine still revving. Green was killed in the impact. Her mother, Mira Green, left the room in tears as court heard how the woman’s daughter died.
An Edmonton Police Service inspection on Supernault’s Jeep found it had “high and irregular accelerator engagement.” The Jeep has since been sold.
Supernault said he’d been asked to perform the demonstration by one of the event’s organizers.
Earlier in the day, Sarina St. Germaine, one of the organizers of the Jeeps Go Topless show, testified it had been done at the behest of a news camera crew.
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“(A co-organizer) and one of the reporters from one of the news outlets approached me,” she said. “(The organizer) said to me, ‘This guy asked if we could do this thing where one Jeep climbs on the wheels of another.'”
But CTV cameraman Chad Kruger told the inquiry he didn’t ask for it, and merely mentioned that he’d film it if it took place.
St. Germaine described how she tried to contact the head of the JK Owners Group, the event’s sponsor, to get him to perform the manoeuvre the reporter had requested. When she learned he’d briefly left the site, two other experienced drivers stepped forward.
St. Germaine, who broke into tears as she recalled what happened, also testified she was careful to keep the crowd at a safe distance back as the Jeeps got into position. Spectators were allowed to approach them once one vehicle was atop the other, engine off, emergency brake engaged.
St. Germaine said she didn’t have a chance to deal with spectators before the Jeeps started to move.
“I was going to clear the area again and part the two Jeeps safely,” she said.
“One thing that’s been bugging me — I don’t understand why Craig (Supernault, the driver) started his Jeep,” said St. Germaine, who was putting her camera away when the engine revved.
“I heard this noise — it was a high, high-pitched whine. I looked up and I could see Craig panicking because his vehicle was moving forward. He couldn’t get the vehicle to stop.”
Both Supernault and Kruger said there was no formal discussion of how to conduct the demonstration safely before the manoeuvre got underway.
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