Guilty verdict in crash that killed pedestrian

50-year-old educator died in December 2016 collision

Suzanne Jones was on her way to deliver Christmas cards to members of her late husband’s band when her life came to a tragic end as she walked along Ferry Street.

A car driven by a Welland man had gone through a stop sign at Sylvia Place and collided with a pickup truck. The car rotated, mounted the curb, and struck the pedestrian on the sidewalk.

Jones, a 50-year-old earlychildhood educator, died instantly.

In Ontario Court of Justice earlier this month, Christopher Harvey, 25, was found guilty of dangerous driving causing death and obstructing police.

He remains in custody pending a sentencing hearing which is scheduled for July 20.

Harvey had pleaded not guilty to the charges and a five-day trial was held in December.

Defence lawyer John Lefurgey had argued his client may have been driving carelessly and he may be civilly liable for the crash, but his actions on Dec. 16, 2016, did not fit the legal definition of dangerous driving.

Court heard the roadway on Sylvia Place was snowy and slushy that night and the car Harvey was driving had bald tires.

Assistant Crown attorney Andrew Brown maintained Harvey “failed, refused or neglected to take into account the road conditions.”

Harvey’s girlfriend testified the defendant was driving aggressively and she warned him to slow down prior to the crash.

There was no evidence presented at trial to suggest Harvey was impaired by alcohol or drugs, although a syringe was found in the vehicle.

Court heard Jones, a resident of Hamilton, and several friends had been at the Maple Leaf Tavern that night. She was on her way to nearby Big Texas to deliver Christmas cards to the band Neon Rain — her late husband Wayne Jones was once a member of the group — when she was struck and killed.

She worked as an early-childhood educator in Burlington.

Her friends describe her as a big-hearted person who loved to dance to country music.

Jones and her friends were regulars at the Maple Leaf Tavern.

Once news spread about her death, the band cut their performance short. They held a memorial show the next day.