A Yorkton man who was charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death was in court over the past two weeks. Hunter Arnold plead not guilty to the two charges, which stem from a collision on Sept. 24, 2016 which killed two men, Jordan Stoll, 17, a passenger in Arnold's car, and Tyler Dobko, 29, who was driving the car Arnold collided with. Arnold was airlifted by STARS air ambulance to Regina with serious injuries and spent several weeks in hospital in Saskatoon.
The case hinges on whether Arnold had pulled into the northbound lane to pass a semi, or if he had merely been checking to see if it was safe to pass. Both Thomas Campbell for the defense and Andrew Wyatt for the prosecution called expert witnesses to testify to the nature of the collision, which Wyatt referred to as the “battle of the experts” in his closing statement. Both lawyers argued against the credibility of the other’s expert during their closing statements.
The condition of the car, the weather conditions at the time of the collision and whether or not it was possible to hydroplane were all touched on during the trial. The defense argued that Arnold was checking to see if it was safe to pass a semi, while the prosecution argued that Arnold had intended to pass when the collision occurred.
The eight men and four women of the jury will receive instructions and begin deliberations on May 9.
