Witness told accused driver she wouldn’t lie

Passenger in fatal crash tells court the driver asked her not to mention alcohol

The accused in a fatal rollover crash near Sundre asked his passenger who survived the accident not to reveal he’d been drinking while driving, court heard Wednesday.

And Leah Shingleton said Brendan Chase Wild said he told police there was a deer in the middle of the highway at the time of the crash, something she believed was false. In a statement being argued as inadmissible by the defence, Shingleton said she spoke to Wild about a week after she was discharged from the hospital following the crash that killed her friend, Amanda Harlos.

“He had asked me not to mention anything about the alcohol in the vehicle,” Shingleton told Crown prosecutor Doug Simpson.

“He had also told me that he had told the cops there was a deer in the middle of the road,” she said.

“I told him that I was going to tell the truth and I hadn’t seen a deer.”

Wild, 29, faces charges of dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm in connection with the June 23, 2012, crash on Highway 587 west of Bowden, which killed Harlos and injured Shingleton.

Shingleton earlier testified Harlos had brought a four-pack of coolers into the car when Wild picked them up at her Red Deer home in a two-seat Nissan 350Z to take them to the Sundre rodeo.

She said on the drive Wild was speeding and showing off, while each of them consumed one of the four bottles.

The witness said shortly before the crash, Harlos handed Wild another bottle.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Rebecca Snukal, Shingleton denied exaggerating her testimony against the accused.

Snukal noted in her police statement Shingleton said nothing about the coolers, nor did she say Wild was speeding inside the City of Red Deer, as she testified to in court.

She also didn’t mention racing from light to light in the urban area in her preliminary inquiry testimony, the lawyer pointed out.

“I didn’t think it was relevant,” Shingleton said.

“I suggest what you’re doing is exaggerating,” Snukal said. “Incorrect,” the witness replied. The lawyer also pointed out Shingleton testified she asked Wild to slow down “at least three times,” while at the preliminary inquiry she said two or three times.

“"I know it was quite a few,” Shingleton said.

Wild was charged with obstruction of justice and breaching his bail condition to not contact Shingleton in connection with the phone conversation, although the obstruction charge was withdrawn. Snukal is arguing that allowing it in as evidence in the dangerous driving case amounts to double jeopardy against her client.

He told the cops there was a deer in the middle of the road …. I told him I was going to tell the truth and I hadn’t seen a deer.