Mother of crash victim struck by dangerous driver speaks at sentencing

An emotional sentencing hearing for a man convicted of causing a fatal crash that killed a London woman, CTV's Nick Paparella reports.

For the mother 36-year old-Rachel Stapleton, the past three years have been filled with anguish and heartache dealing with the death of her daughter, the court process, and sentencing for the man responsible.

“You are not supposed to bury your child,” said Lisa Stapleton outside the London courthouse on Wednesday. “I miss her every day.”

Stapleton died in a horrific crash after being struck by a speeding dangerous driver. Her father Chris and fiancé Dave Lindsay continue to be haunted by the loss.

“I wake up in the middle of the night searching for her,” said Lindsay.

Her father misses her dearly, “The whole family misses her along with her friends.”

It was on January 6, 2022 that Rachel Stapleton’s car was struck by a speeding modified while BMW near the intersection of Southdale Road and Nixon Drive.

She would be pronounced dead, while the driver of the BMW Clay Kuzio, 25, would be taken to hospital with injuries and later charged and convicted of dangerous driving causing death.

In handing down her decision Justice Kelly Tranquilli said, “Witnesses testified to hearing and observing the white BMW driving at excessive rates of speed… making quick lane changes in slower traffic.”

She added, “The BMW was operating at a high degree of acceleration at the time of the collision... the BMW tachometer was frozen at 6000 RPM at the time of impact.”

At the sentencing hearing, Crown Attorney Jeremy Carnegie asked that Kuzio receive a five year prison term along with a 10 year driving prohibition saying, “A sentence of five years is fair... there is no other appropriate outcome but custody.”

On the other hand Kuzio’s lawyer Katie Heathcote requested a two year conditional sentence with restrictions, along with a five year driving prohibition citing, “He (Kuzio) has feelings of shame and would trade places with her [Stapleton] if he could.”

Justice Tranquilli is expected to hand down her decision on the case on May 5.