Defence in Milton Urgiles case lays out theory about deadly dump truck crash
Defence lawyer Alonzo Abbey called an Ontario Provincial Police forensic mechanic expert to testify a second time at the trial for Milton Urgiles about specific evidence that hadn't been made available to the defence back in September.
Urgiles is charged with criminal negligence causing death after a dump truck driver died in a crash south of Alliston in 2020.
Now-retired officer Brian McLaughlin told the court that the dump truck had a severely worn front left tire with very little tread left on the inner wall when it crashed on September 22, 2020, along the Adjala-Tosorontio-New Tecumseth Townline.
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Denis Garant was driving when he lost control of the dump truck and crashed into a ditch before slamming into a tree. He was 53.
Police said the defective tire exploded and caused the truck to crash. The court previously heard Garant told Urgiles, his supervisor at the time, there was a problem with the truck's steering.
Urgiles testified he checked the truck the night before the crash and said it was okay to drive after receiving Garant's text expressing his concern.
The OPP expert also testified there was an alignment issue with the truck, and it should not have been on the road that day based on the poor condition of the tire, adding there wasn't enough structural support in the weakened tire to sustain an impact.
While addressing another witness, the defence laid out its theory for the court, suggesting that the tire blew before the crash due to either an impact breach or an incident that disabled the tire earlier that day. The defence argued that the incident was not caused by improper maintenance of the vehicle or its tires.
Urgiles pointed the finger at Garant, testifying that the crash had happened due to driver error.
On Friday, the OPP collision reconstructionist is expected to be called to testify again.
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