The 19-year-old driver charged in the death of a Barrhaven crossing guard has been found guilty of dangerous driving.
Xzander Wright sat in the accused’s box in a black T-shirt on Wednesday afternoon, as Justice David Berg delivered his verdict.
In April, Wright also pleaded guilty to failing to remain at the scene of a hit and run in April. Sentencing submissions will begin in November.
Crossing guard Peter Clark was struck and killed on the morning of March 23 at the intersection of Cedarview Drive and Kennevale Road in Barrhaven. Wright was arrested about 24 hours later and pleaded guilty in April to failing to remain at the scene.
The matter went to trial in June as Wright pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of dangerous driving causing death, leaving it up to Justice Berg to determine whether Wright’s decisions leading to the crossing guard’s death should be considered dangerous.
Throughout the trial, defence attorney Lawrence Greenspon argued that the case was a “tragic perceptual failure, not a marked departure” from the standard of care expected from a reasonable driver.
Meanwhile, Crown attorney Julian Daller argued that Wright’s further actions of continuing to accelerate despite feeling and seeing signs of running Clark over without stopping was not the behaviour of a “reasonable person.”
