The woman facing charges in relation to last year’s single-vehicle collision in west London, Ont., that killed eight-year-old Alexandra Stemp and injured nine others will return to court late next month.
Emergency crews responded to the scene along Riverside Drive, just west of Wonderland Road, around 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2021 for a collision involving multiple pedestrians who had been struck by a vehicle that had mounted the curb.
At the time, police said a 76-year-old woman had been driving westbound along Riverside Drive when she struck a vehicle that was waiting at a red light at Wonderland Road.
The vehicle then continued through the intersection, mounted a curb, struck a light post, struck a small tree and then struck the group of pedestrians who had been walking eastbound on the north side of Riverside, police said.
In late January, police announced charges against Petronella H. McNorgan, 76, of London.
She faces one count of criminal negligence causing death and seven counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
Her first court appearance took place Wednesday morning and her lawyer Phil Millar appeared on her behalf to request a six-week adjournment.
“It’s a very serious matter that’s going to require a lot of disclosure as there’s a lot of technical elements and engineering reports, so we haven’t gotten all of the disclosure yet,” Millar said.
The court ruled to have McNorgan return on May 25.
— with files from Global News’ Matthew Trevithick