Tonight, a jury of 5 men and 4 women are deliberating on whether or not 53 year-old Pastor Fidel Lanza, is criminally liable for the accident which knocked down and killed 3 year-old Rajahnee McFadzean. That accident happened in 2011 in Double Head Cabbage, and Lanza was driving a bus which ran over and crushed the 3 year-old child.
Pastor Lanza stood trial before Justice Adolph Lucas and Crown Counsel Rodriguez called 5 witnesses to testify against him. The jury heard evidence that on December 9, 2011, Rajahnee McFadzean was walking with her 5 year old brother when she was crushed by a bus that Lanza was driving. One of the Crown's witnesses, Rupert Ledlon, who was in a bus parked near the scene, testified that Lanza was driving about 5 miles per hour. During the trial the court visited the scene.
In his defense, Lanza gave a statement from the dock in which he said that apart from being a pastor he is a sales person for Caribbean Chicken of Isabella Bank and on the day of the accident he was making his usual run from Rancho Dolores to Double Head Cabbage and he was only driving very slowly.
It was a very tragic story, and we've managed to dig into our archives to share a short excerpt from that day. Here's what the first responders told us then:
Eyewitness
"The brother was holding on to his little sister's hand, moving very slowly and without no care crossing the road and that's when it happened. Apparently the bus driver didn't see them coming and when he turned, they were moving very slowly. With just a blink of the eye it happened and I shouted at him, I said Mr. Fidel and as I said I heard the "blip blip" the wheel and everybody in the bus started to crying and screaming."
Kay Smith, teacher
"Yes I did had the strength, because I thought as it as my own, so when I heard the screaming in the bus I actually got up from my seat where I was sitting in front and I told them to open this door. I don't know where I got the strength from, but I just pulled that door open and at the same time I just rushed out there and I saw somebody has a baby in his hand and I just said, can I have this child and I just held her. At this time she was crying and her feet all a very difficult state and I was shouting out for nurse to come. I said call for nurse, tell her to come. Dial 911. But it was a very sad time for me holding that child out there. I held her for about 10 minutes, after which the same guy that was holding her where the incident happened, he went and took her to nurse, because she came out."
Lanza was represented in the Supreme Court by attorney Leeroy Banner, and if the verdict comes before the end of the news, we'll share it with you. The jury went in at 4:45 PM.
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