KELOWNA – There’s little doubt the motorist didn’t intend to run over and kill a Kelowna pedestrian. But that doesn’t mean the driver is blameless.
The trial started Wednesday for Sharon Marlene Scott who is charged under the Motor Vehicle Act with driving without due care and attention stemming from the late night incident in November 2014.
Julie Gillespie, 83, was walking on the sidewalk at a lane way entrance in downtown Kelowna when she was struck by Scott’s car turning left into the alley.
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Scott did not stop, with her lawyer claiming she didn’t know she had run someone over.
In cross-exam questioning at the trial, Joe Gordon is implying Scott didn’t see Gillespie because the victim was wearing dark clothes and there was poor illumination from nearby street lamps.
The defence lawyer is also suggesting Scott didn’t realize she had run somebody over, apparently thinking the bump she must have felt in her car was the small height difference between the sidewalk and the road bed, although Gillespie was dragged almost ten metres before being run over by a rear wheel.
An RCMP expert in collision analysis testified Scott was travelling about 12 kilometres an hour and the area lighting was adequate.
But Sgt. Brian Nightingale also says it appears her car’s interior cabin light was on which could have affected Scott’s vision out the windshield.
The trial continues Thursday. Scott will take the stand to testify in her own defence.
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