Tire expert testifies in Milton Urgiles' trial

The defence called another key witness to the stand on Monday, a long-time Bridgestone employee, now a consultant on tire forensics and tire failure, Norris Tennent Jr, who testified over video from Nashville in the case of Milton Urgiles.

Urgiles has been charged with criminal negligence causing death after Denis Garant died in a 2020 crash along the Adjala-Tosorontio New Tecumseth townline while driving a dump truck supplied by Urgiles and the company he worked for, which Urgiles’ spouse owned.

Urgiles had previously testified that Garant texted him the night before the crash, complaining about the truck’s steering. The defendant also said he checked the truck’s steering that night and found nothing, which he told Garant the following day. Just hours before, the deceased lost control of the truck and crashed after the front left tire exploded.

Tennent Jr, who was retained by the defence, initially declined to provide his services; however, after reviewing the OPP’s collision reconstruction report, he believed it contained incorrect information. Upon the defence suggesting that someone could potentially go to jail without his testimony, he decided his expertise could help reach a correct solution.

The expert testified Monday that in his opinion, based on photos of the tires at the time of the collision, they had irregular wear and tear due to an alignment issue and should not have been on the road, but he said that did not cause the impact break in the tire. He said he asked the OPP to return to the scene and look for a pothole or object because he believed that caused the tire to break.

Milton Urgiles is due back in court on Thursday, where cross-examination of the tire expert will continue.