Sask. man pleads guilty in deadly crash involving 2 sons
A Saskatchewan man who successfully appealed his conviction is now pleading guilty to charges involving a crash that killed his two sons and girlfriend.
On Friday at Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench, Robert Major pleaded guilty to three counts of dangerous driving causing death and three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
Major was the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup that T-boned a semi-truck at the intersection of Highway 16 and Range Road 3083 on Feb. 22, 2016.
Major's 26-year-old girlfriend, four-year-old and nine-year-old sons died in the crash. Major's other five-year-old son, 11-year-old nephew and employee were injured.
At the time of the collision, Major was driving from his acreage to Langham to drop off his kids at his ex-wife’s home.
According to evidence in Major’s trial, the stop sign at the intersection had been knocked down and was not standing on the day of the crash.
The defence argued the downed stop sign was the reason for the fatal collision, while the Crown pointed to Major’s reckless driving.
The jury heard Major was driving 137 kilometres an hour, based on data police retrieved from the vehicle’s airbag control module. The speed limit on Range Road 3083 was 80 kilometres an hour.
None of the passengers were wearing seatbelts, and the youngest boy was sitting on Major’s girlfriend’s lap.
On Jan. 24, 2019, a jury found Major guilty of a total of 12 charges: three counts of dangerous driving causing death, three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, three counts of criminal negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle causing death and three counts of criminal negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.
Weeks later, Major appealed the convictions.
On July 20, 2022, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal awarded Major a new trial because the airbag control data used to estimate the speed Major was driving was “admitted into evidence without a proper foundation.”
The Crown’s case had figured heavily on the speed of Major’s vehicle at the time of collision, but there was no expert witness involved who could attest to the accuracy or reliability of the data produced by the vehicle’s internal sensors, Major argued.
“In this case, there was no evidence as to how the data was actually gathered, what margin of error might exist and what circumstances could influence its accuracy,” the appeal judge wrote.
Major was originally sentenced to seven years in prison, but has been out on bail since he filed his appeal.
The Crown and defence are set to bring forward a joint sentencing submission in October.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.