A Vancouver Island woman who was behind the wheel in a car crash that killed her two sons has been found not guilty of impaired and dangerous driving.
Clare Bekkers was charged with eight counts connected to the Dec. 22, 2008 collision that caused a multi-car pileup on Highway 1 south of Nanaimo. She and her two daughters were also injured in the crash.
A toxicologist found that Bekkers had cocaine metabolites and alcohol in her system when her Ford Escape SUV suddenly veered out of control and swerved into oncoming traffic, but the B.C. Supreme Court judge who heard the case ruled that prosecutors hadn't proven her ability to drive was impaired. She admitted to taking cocaine less than 48 hours before the crash.
Outside the court, a teary-eyed Bekkers expressed her relief.
"I just want to say I'm glad it's over. that's just all I want to say. it's over and I'd just like to go home," she said.
Bekkers' lawyer Bert King argued during the trial that the crash was caused by a combination of unfortunate circumstances, including poor winter conditions.
"It was a perfect storm. We had been very cold for two days before this. It was in the shadow of a hill, right at sunset, and no one expected the black ice, I don't believe," King told reporters outside the court.
Crown lawyer Frank Dubenski said he will have to review the decision before deciding whether to appeal.
