Testimony Continues in Trial for Driver of Fatal Waco Crash - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

UPDATE (KCEN) -- Jacob Turner has been found guilty of manslaughter.

-----------------------------------------

UPDATE (KCEN) -- The jury is deliberating the verdict in the case.

-----------------------------------------

UPDATE (KCEN) -- The defense has rested in the manslaughter case of Jacob Turner.

-----------------------------------------

(KCEN) -- Witness testimony continued today in the manslaughter case of 27-year-old Jacob Turner.

He is accused of killing 64-year-old Peggy Cantrell in June of 2011 when his Explorer crashed into her Dodge Neon.

The prosecution called Timothy Lovett of Crash Dynamics to the stand today. Lovett is an expert on crash reconstruction and works independent of government officials, like police.

He said according to the deployment data recovered from Turner's car, he was traveling at 95 miles per hour five seconds before impact and at 83 miles per hour one second before impact, which is when he hit his brakes.

At the moment of impact, Lovett said Turner was traveling at 69.7 miles per hour. He also said Cantrell was traveling at 19.3 miles per hour as she turned into the intersection.

The defense is claiming that Cantrell failed to yield right-of-way, but Lovett said she would not have been able to judge Turner's vehicle reaching the intersection as fast as it did. Lovett said Cantrell probably thought she had time to clear the intersection.

Lovett said, "The Dodge Neon did not fail to yield right-of-way. The defendant was reckless."

He then mentioned the amount of force Cantrell experienced at the moment of impact. He said a fighter pilot experiences about 9 G-forces and that Cantrell probably experienced about 16 G-forces when her vehicle was struck.

The defense then called a witness who saw the accident when it happened. The witness said he did not think Turner was traveling that fast.

Dr. Ernest Lykissa was the last witness called this morning. Lykissa is the forensic toxicologist who analyzed Turner's blood sample that was sent to the DPS.

Lykissa said the blood sample showed no sign of alcohol and had a hint of opiate. The defense has said that Turner had taken heroin prior to the accident.

Lykissa said  the amount of opiate left in Turner's blood was so insignificant that he probably took it two days before and was not under the influence of heroin at the time of the accident.