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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-02-19, Page 21THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015. PAGE 21. Gorrie man to pay fine after Bluevale-area death Business Directory Affordable CAR AND TRUCK RENTALS Large & Small Trucks fridge carts - piano dollys- moving blankets Complete Selection of Cars Our rates qualify for insurance replacement Passenger Vans full size or mini GODERICH TOYOTA 344 Huron Rd. 519-524-9381 GODERICH 1-800-338-1134 NEW CONSTRUCTION AGRICULTURAL RENOVATIONS RESIDENTIAL Call 519-527-1538 Tarion Home Warranty Builders JAMES BROWN PHARMACY 198 Josephine St., Wingham, Ont. 519-357-1629 Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9 - 6 Sat. 9 - 4 Rear Parking Available Delivery available - COMPLETE MECHANICAL SERVICE - COMPUTERIZED TUNE-UPS - TIRES - BRAKES MUFFLERS - VEHICLE INSPECTION STATION DAN'S AUTO REPAIR Owned and Operated by Dan & Heather Snell RR 3, Blyth, Ont. N0M 1H0 (on the Westfield Rd.) DAN SNELL, Automotive Technician 519-523-4356 PAUL COOK ELECTRIC Home, Farm & Commercial Wiring BELGRAVE 519-357-1537 Call 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 to book your spot today! We have solutions for your storage needs. Great for home, office & business. Ask for Ken at LAKESIDE 519-524-1740 Storage Solutions In stock used Pallet Racking, used decking steel & 4'x8' T&G fir plywood. Ontario CraneRentals Box 134, Teeswater, ON N0G 2S0 519-392-6469 Cell: 519-357-7869 1-866-392-6469 Fax: 519-392-8135 Email: ontariocrane@wightman.ca 24 Hour Service ~ Merv ~ Fully Insured BROWN’S PHARMASAVE Linda M. Bross, CPA, CA 519-357-3231 lbross@bdo.ca Wingham, ON D. C. Craig Excavating • Excavating • Bulldozing • Septic Systems • Drainage 519-523-4966 Mechanical Repair & Used Car Sales 30 Ontario St., Clinton 519-482-8439 Email: aandt@bellnet.ca P.O. Box 69 470 Turnberry Street Brussels, ON N0G 1H0 (519) 887-6100 Fax: (519) 887-6109 email:dsholdice@orrinsurance.net Scott McDonald General Carpenter Fully Licensed Carpenter Over 10 Years Experience! 42475 Moncrieff Rd., R.R. #2 Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 519.955.1215 INSTANT FAX AS FAST AS A PHONE Send your paperwork by FAX instantly! eg. statements, contracts, auction ads, favourite recipes, obituaries, messages... The Citizen has a FAX machine in our Blyth office that lets you contact any other FAX machine in the world ... instantly. Our FAX number is also your number so if you want to be reached instantly — we will receive your messages as well. The Citizen Call Us Today For Details 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 Fax: 519-523-9140 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.