The left side of a Winnipeg court room gallery was filled with family looking for closure in the deaths of 43-year-old Jeanne Haug and 23-year-old Brittney Chegus.
The mother daughter pair were killed in a collision that happened on September 21, 2013 on Gateway Road.
"That's two lives that are gone, and it's just killing us. It's just hurting our family so much," said Steve Chegus, Brittney’s father.
The accused in the case is Crystal Vandal who is facing two counts of driving carelessly under The Highway Traffic Act.
A Winnipeg Police investigation found the SUV was travelling 103km/h in a 60km/h zone when the collision happened.
“I am very angry at the way it's all be conducted and I am very angry about the charge itself because it's a joke,” said Vern Hogue, Jeanne Haug’s father.
Hogue was in court with about a dozen family members. He said they’re still looking for closure after losing Jeanne and Brittney so abruptly two years ago.
Vandal took to the stand in her own defense.
She told court she'd gotten into an argument with her passenger, Carl Balan, over child support, but she stayed fully concentrated on the road. She said right before the collision things started getting heated.
"He grabbed the steering wheel with his right hand, pulled it to the right. I tried to regain control," Vandal said while one the stand, “then I woke up to sirens"
Police had charged Balan with obstructing the driver of a motor vehicle in this case. Those charges have been stayed.
"This tragedy is not because of her driving, it's because of an intervention of an angry man." said Vandal's lawyer Saul Simmonds in his closing argument before asking for an acquittal for his client.
"She's responsible for the speed right up to the moment the vehicle swerved into the other lane," argued the crown prosecutor.
The judge reserved his decision until Thursday.
