The Crown lawyer mentioned the motorist fled the scene with out stopping to help
Article content material
The driving force of a Mercedes sedan that struck and killed a girl in a southeast crosswalk couldn’t have prevented the deadly collision, a prosecutor conceded Monday.
However in her opening deal with on the Calgary Courtroom of Justice trial of Hani Salama, Crown lawyer Alexandra Russell mentioned the motorist fled the scene with out stopping to help.
Russell advised Justice Jim Sawa the one difficulty for him to determine is whether or not Salama, 45, was behind the wheel when his automobile struck and killed Alok Akot, 27, shortly earlier than 8 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2022, earlier than fleeing the scene.
Commercial 2
Article content material
“The collision was unavoidable given her location within the crosswalk and the obstructed view of the motive force,” Russell mentioned, earlier than presenting a press release of details agreed on by each Salama and his lawyer, Tariq Salloum.
The prosecutor additionally performed chilling CCTV video of the collision which left Akot’s mom moaning within the entrance row of the courtroom gallery, consoled by the sufferer’s father with a mild contact of her shoulder.
The video confirmed Akot crossing the westbound lanes of seventeenth Avenue S.E. at forty fourth Avenue after exiting a bus speedy transit station and being thrown by way of the air after being struck earlier than the automobile that hit her continued with out slowing down.
“The driving force wouldn’t have had time to keep away from Ms. Akot,” Russell mentioned in her opening assertion.
“The driving force fled the scene.”
Salama is charged with fleeing the scene of a deadly crash, an offence which carries a most punishment of life behind bars.
In line with the agreed details, learn into the report by Russell, Salama was the registered proprietor of the Mercedes concerned within the collision between Oct. 14, 2020, and Oct. 31, 2022, 4 days after the incident, when he transferred possession to his father.
Commercial 3
Article content material
Russell advised Sawa that Akot started strolling throughout seventeenth Avenue “in the usual white crosswalk strains.
“On the time she started to stroll, the don’t stroll sign was illuminated,” she mentioned.
“The Mercedes struck Akot as she walked by way of the intersection within the crosswalk.”
The CCTV video confirmed a automobile stopped on the intersection ready to show left, which might have blocked the view of Akot as she walked north.
Salama is not any stranger to the authorized system, together with for driving offences.
An Alberta Courtroom of Enchantment choice in 2018 upheld a 69-month sentence for 2 units of prices involving incidents in June 2014.
Within the first incident, Salama robbed a 7-Eleven retailer and 6 days later, after his launch from custody, he broke into a house and stole greater than $10,000 in property earlier than fleeing an tried arrest by police in a stolen Mazda.
Throughout that flight Salama crashed into one other automobile earlier than persevering with to drive dangerously by way of the Beltline and downtown areas of Calgary, driving on a sidewalk, working pink lights and driving into oncoming site visitors.
Article content material
