HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-02-19, Page 21THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015. PAGE 21.
Gorrie man to pay fine after Bluevale-area death
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In Wingham court on Feb. 12,
William Krotz of Gorrie pled guilty
to one charge of failing to stop at the
scene of an accident, stemming from
the fatal incident on Sept. 22, 2014
that claimed the life of 27-year-old
Justin Moorehead.
As a result of the finding of guilt,
Judge R.G.E. Hunter ordered Krotz
to pay a $1,000 fine, which carries
with it a victim fine surcharge of an
additional $300, and imposed a
three-month driving suspension.
Huron County Crown Attorney
Teresa Donnelly said that around
8:15 p.m. the night of Sept. 22,
Krotz was driving a 2009
International 4400 delivery truck
westbound on Amberley Road
between Ramsay Line and Brussels
Line when the vehicle struck
Moorehead, who was walking along
the westbound lane’s white line,
wearing dark clothing.
Krotz said he thought a deer had
impacted the passenger door of the
truck, so he checked the vehicle
when he got to the next well-lit
community, which was Wingham.
Donnelly said that upon
inspection, Krotz saw that his truck’s
passenger side mirror had been
damaged. He removed the remaining
parts of the mirror and placed them
in the truck. Then, upon making his
first delivery, he e-mailed his boss,
informing him that he felt he had hit
a deer and that minor damage had
been done to the truck.
According to OPP reports, at
approximately 8:30 p.m. Huron
Emergency Medical Services and
the Brussels Fire Department
attended to a call of a pedestrian
lying in the roadway. Moorehead
was then taken to Wingham Hospital
before being airlifted to London,
where he died the next day.
Donnelly said that at the time of
the incident, Moorehead was
wearing a black hooded sweatshirt
with the hood up and dark jeans,
making him very difficult to see
along the dark, poorly-lit, rural
stretch of highway.
As part of the technical collision
investigation that was conducted,
two other motorists who had driven
past Moorehead on that same stretch
of highway within 10 minutes of the
incident said Moorehead was almost
impossible to see.
Donnelly said that one motorist
said that the only reason she saw
Moorehead at the last minute was his
lightly-coloured shoes. A second
motorist also said he didn’t see
Moorehead very well, saying he saw
his shadow against the headlights of
an eastbound vehicle which was his
only indication that a pedestrian was
walking near the road.
Donnelly said that black marks on
the back of Moorehead’s jeans were
consistent with the narrative that the
truck being driven by Krotz first
contacted Moorehead with its
bumper. After that first contact, she
said, the truck’s mirror then
contacted Moorehead’s head causing
great trauma.
James Marentette, Krotz’s defense
attorney, said he agreed with all of
Donnelly’s statements, with the
exception of the investigation’s
findings. He said he didn’t feel there
was sufficient evidence to come to
the conclusion that the truck first
contacted Moorehead with its
bumper. Krotz, Marentette
maintained, felt contact was closer
to the passenger side door, rather
than with the front of the car.
Krotz, Marentette said, had been
co-operative with the investigation
from its very beginning. Marentette
acknowledged that Krotz did
technically leave the scene of the
accident, but reiterated that Krotz
thought he’d had a minor collision
with a deer, and drove on to the next
lighted area where he could further
investigate the exterior of his truck.
It wasn’t until later, Marentette
said, that Krotz heard of the search
for the driver on the radio and
immediately turned himself in to
authorities.
Marentette told the court he has
been extremely remorseful and
shaken up as a result of the
incident.
Before Hunter could decide on
Krotz’s sentence, Donnelly brought
forward Moorehead’s parents to
speak to the court. A picture of
Justin was entered into evidence.
Through tears, Justin’s mother
Heather spoke about her son, saying
he was a bright and happy child,
calling him a “mama’s boy”.
She told Hunter that the family has
been “crushed” since the day Justin
died, adding that since her son’s
death, she has been unsure of how to
go on.
Heather said that in Justin’s death,
“something special” had been taken
from the family, and ever since, she
has been “full of anger and pain
every day”.
Heather said that she knew Justin
was in heaven because of his love for
Jesus Christ.
Hunter thanked the Mooreheads
for their statement and concurred
with Donnelly on her suggestion of a
$1,000 fine and a three-month
driving suspension. Krotz has six
months to pay the fine.