By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Jury hears account of high-speed chase at manslaughter trial

Dec 11, 2018 | 12:36 PM

The Crown says Police told a Delburne man not to pursue a suspicious vehicle before a fatal crash took place near Lousana more than two years ago.

Daniel Newsham, 47, is on trial in Red Deer Court of Queen’s Bench facing one count of manslaughter for the collision on Highway 42 that led to the death of Stanley Dick.

Crown Prosecutor Brittany Ashmore told the seven-man, five-woman jury deciding the case that the high-speed pursuit leading up to the crash started in Delburne at around 11 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2016 when Newsham spotted a suspicious vehicle near his business in Delburne.

Newsham reported the vehicle, a black Dodge Dakota, to an off-duty RCMP officer and then called a second officer during the pursuit to give the license plate number from it. The second officer told Newsham she had the information she needed to investigate and to end his pursuit.

The chase led to a dead-end driveway along Highway 42. Dick drove down the driveway and onto a private property where he crashed into a fuel tank. He got out of the Dodge and into a nearby Ford F-150 before fleeing.

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Newsham continued chasing Dick, Ashmore said, trailing closely until the front end of his truck struck the back end of the truck Dick was driving near Rage Road 240, causing it to enter the ditch and roll.

Dick, who was 32, was ejected from the truck during the rollover and later died from his injuries.

The defence is arguing Dick caused the crash by swerving into Newsham.

The two Mounties who spoke with Newsham that night gave their testimony Tuesday morning.

Colby Henderson 23, testified in the afternoon that he was staying with friends at the property along Highway 42 when he awoke to a commotion in the yard. He ran outside to see his truck leaving the driveway and heading westbound.

When Newsham pulled up in his truck seconds later, Henderson climbed inside and they gave chase on Highway 42.

Henderson said the chase was intense and described the distance between the two trucks as “bumper to bumper… real close.”

At one point Newsham pulled into the left lane in a bid to pass Dick and get him to stop. Dick moved left to block the pass and the rear left of his truck made contact with the front right side of Newsham’s.

Henderson told court he saw the lead truck fish-tail before skidding off the road and into the ditch, tossing Dick.

“It was just kind of shock,” Henderson said of the ensuing minutes. “Everyone was freakin’ about what happened.”

In cross-examination, defence lawyer Balfour Der zeroed in on Henderson’s recollection of what the trucks were doing leading up to the crash.

When questioned, Henderson couldn’t recall whether Dick hit his brakes before the collision or whether the trucks made contact twice during the pursuit as he’d testified.

Der also suggested Dick continued travelling in a straight line for several seconds after the two trucks bumped before hitting the ditch.

“I can’t agree or disagree… I don’t remember that part,” Henderson admitted.

The trial continues on Wednesday and is scheduled to last into next week.