'Hurry. There's kids in here': Robert Major's trial hears account of deadly crash from semi driver
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing
The trial of Robert Major, the man charged with causing a crash that killed his girlfriend and two sons, heard harrowing testimony Wednesday from the driver of the semi-trailer Major slammed into.
In the early morning darkness of Feb. 22, 2016, the pickup truck Major was driving T-boned a semi-tractor that weighed a total of about 80,000 pounds on Highway 16 near Langham. The Crown alleges that Major came off a grid road at high speed, crossed two lanes and the median then crashed into the semi.
Major is on trial at Court of Queen's Bench in Saskatoon. He's charged with three counts of dangerous driving causing death, three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, three counts of criminal negligence causing death and three counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
Neale Lensen was driving the semi that day, hauling seven trucks and cars from Saskatoon to the Edmonton area. He testified Wednesday that he was on cruise control, driving at around 90 kilometres an hour, his seatbelt on.
Lensen said he only saw Major coming from the corner of his eye. The impact sounded like an explosion, he said.
"It was a like a bomb went off," he told court, at times wiping away tears. "It just blew me right into the ditch. I couldn't do nothing. Absolutely nothing. Incredible."
Lensen said it was a clear day — "You could see for miles" — and that road conditions on the highway were good.
Lensen said that had he seen Major's vehicle coming, he would have taken defensive driving measures — "as best I could."
A voice calling out
Lensen said he got out his vehicle, relatively uninjured, and walked toward Major's truck. The pickup was wedged between Lensen's cab and his first trailer.
"It was just a mess in there," Lensen said.
He heard an adult male voice calling out from Major's truck.
"It was so clear," Lensen said. " 'There's kids in here. Hurry.' "
Lensen is back at work now, but he said he thinks about the crash every day.
"These kids don't get to enjoy life anymore," he said. "I watch programs and see these kids enjoying themselves and those two, they don't get that anymore. That has never left me."
Not an accident, Crown says
Major's trial began Monday with jury selection, an overview of the Crown's case from prosecutor Michael Pilon and testimony from the first Crown witness.
Pilon also read into the record an agreed statement of facts.
In his opening remarks to the jury, Pilon said "this was not an accident, it happened because of a series of actions and omissions that were his doing."
Pilon said that Major was driving 55 kilometres over the limit on a grid road, in the dark, in a truck with six passengers, none wearing seatbelts, while on a cell phone.
"Robert Major is the author of what happened that day," he said.
Pilon said a stop sign that had been knocked down at the point where the grid road met the highway played only a small role in the crash.
Under cross-examination by defence attorney Brian Pfefferle, Lensen said he was not aware at the time of the crash that the stop sign was knocked down.
Major is not on a list of witnesses shared with CBC News.