The driver of a sports car hit in a 2021 Vancouver crash that left a 11-month-old girl dead told a judge his vehicle was sent spinning, leaving him disoriented.
Seyed Ramin Moshfeghi Zadeh's trial before Vancouver Provincial Court Judge Katherine Denhoff began April 2. Moshfeghi Zadeh is charged with dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
On April 3, Kei Hensler told the court he was driving about 50 km/h in his McLaren north on Vancouver’s Hornby Street when he was hit at the intersection with Smithe Street, on July 6, 2021.
“I saw a black car coming from the right,” he said under questioning from Crown prosecutor Brent Anderson. “I had no chance to stop. I spun a couple of times.”
“I heard some screaming,” Hensler said, adding an officer told him to stay in his car until medical help arrived.
Anderson earlier told the court a baby was “killed almost instantly,” while her father “received significant harm.”
The court heard the light had been red for more than 20 seconds before the collision.
In a joint Crown and defence admissions of fact, Moshfeghi Zadeh admitted he was driving a black Ford Escape that entered the downtown Vancouver intersection against a red light. It was further admitted that the Ford hit a McLaren sports car and rolled over while a man was on one corner holding his daughter.
“The Ford Escape struck the baby,” Anderson said in the admissions. “Her death was caused by the impact.”
The Crown lawyer noted Moshfeghi Zadeh was a novice driver.
Hensler said several people approached his vehicle to help him. One of them was now-retired Crown prosecutor Peter Favell, who had just left his office to head to a restaurant on Smith Street.
He testified he had just crossed Smithe Street and was walking west toward Burrard Street when he heard a loud noise “which I knew was a collision.”
Under cross examination by defence lawyer Robert Dick, Favell agreed he did not see the vehicles prior to the collision nor did he see the crash itself.
He said he turned and saw an SUV “rolling over and crashing onto the sidewalk where I had just been standing.”
Favell said he saw a man on the ground near where he had been standing who he said looked seriously injured.
“There was a woman screaming,” he said.
Favell said the McLaren had come to rest near him, and that he went over to check on the driver.
“He was motionless,” Favell said. “He was simply staring straight ahead. He didn’t appear to have any physical injuries.”
Hensler testified he received only “minor bruises and scratches.”
Anderson closed the Crown case after Hensler’s testimony.
Dick then told Denhoff he wished to consult with his client before deciding on how defence would move forward.
On April 2, Anderson went through several videos from the area surrounding the intersection with a police officer. They showed the Ford increasing speed and entering the intersection. The impact itself was not seen but the Ford was seen bouncing to its final resting spot.
Another police officer spoke with Moshfeghi Zadeh at the scene. He told Denhoff he recognized the man, having had dealings with him twice before.
The trial is set for four days. The court will hear from a total of three police officers and two civilian witnesses.
The case returns to court April 4.
Denhoff said she would hear lawyers’ arguments April 9.
The judge said she would be reserving her decision.
