As the second week of Michael Hickey's trial continued, senior Const. Steve Stresman, a forensic mechanic with the OPP, took the stand to present his findings on the tractor-trailer involved in a fatal crash.
Hickey is charged with three counts of criminal negligence causing death after his tractor-trailer flipped on Highway 69, near the Killarney turnoff, and caused the death of Kelly Ann Henderson and her twin 12-year-old sons, Corbin and Jordin Sauve, on Aug. 7, 2002.
Stresman was the only Crown witness of the day's proceedings.
He testified that, during the several hours he spent examining the Hickey's trailer, on Dec. 5, 2002, he discovered the fifth axle, or the middle axle on the trailer, was misaligned. This axle was 220.2 centimetres long, while the other two axles, on either side, were 217.8 centimetres long.
If one axle is longer than the other, the handling and response characteristics of the tractor-trailer would change, Stresman said. The load of the trailer could also be distributed unevenly.
As well, the tires, rims and mounting system on axle No. 5 were different than the other two on the trailer.
A tab of the trailer's air valve system on the fifth axle was not bolted to the axle, as it should have been, Stresman continued. This linkage allows the trailer's suspensions to function properly. This is a mechanical defect that was present on the trailer before the collision, said Stresman, because there was no evidence of breakage, damage or marking.
In addition, the air entering the air valves on the trailer was unregulated, said Stresman. This would affect the trailer's suspension. As a result, when it hit bumps on the road, the suspension would be inflexible because the air bags on the trailer were inflated to capacity.
During his forensic examination, the constable also noticed that all four U-bolts on axle five were loose. U-bolts should be tight to to the axle to prevent movement, he testified.
“I could rattle them with my hand,” said Stresman.
The loose U-bolts are part of a driver's pre-trip inspection, which is a mandatory check of specific areas of the tractor-trailer every 24 hours, and could have been visually identified on the trailer, without crawling underneath.
The trial continues on Tuesday with the conclusion of Stresman's testimony, and testimony from Const. Graham Hunt and Alan Billing, a professional engineer.
