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Ten of the 17 expected victim impact statements were read in a London courtroom on Thursday morning as sentencing began for an elderly driver who crashed into a troop of Girl Guides, killing an eight-year-old.
Petronella McNorgan, a 79-year-old retired teacher, was found guilty by a jury of one count of criminal negligence causing death and seven counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm in the crash that occurred along Riverside Drive in west London on the evening of Nov. 30, 2021.
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McNorgan was charged after her vehicle crashed into a troop of Embers – young Girl Guides, formerly known as Brownies – while they were walking along Riverside Drive, killing one of them and injuring seven others.
A court-ordered ban prevents the publication of the victims’ names.
The troop had left Riverside United Church and was on its way to play in the fresh snow at a nearby park when the collision happened. McNorgan was driving west. Her SUV accelerated through a red light at the Riverside-Wonderland Road intersection, struck another vehicle, jumped the curb, hit a street light and then struck the children.
Her vehicle then made a 90-degree turn back across Riverside Drive into a park, where it came to a stop. The jury heard that the SUV reached speeds as fast as 121 kilometres/hour.
McNorgan claimed the brakes failed and she was pressing the brake pedal to the floor while the SUV continued to accelerate. McNorgan’s defence lawyers have said they plan to appeal the decision to the Ontario Court of Appeal.
The victim impact statements will continue Thursday afternoon, when the Crown and defence will enter their submissions for sentencing.
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