By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario – January 14, 2019 – Elie Hoyeck, a former Halifax auto bodyshop owner, was found not guilty of criminal negligence causing death in connection to an explosion that killed one of his employees.
In 2013, Peter Kempton was working under a 1998 Dodge Caravan at Your Mechanic Auto Corner in Dartmouth when it broke out in flames, resulting in Kempton having second-third degree burns on 90 percent of his body. He was taken to hospital but died the next day.
On Friday the accused, Elie Hoyeck, was acquitted as the court found that Kempton made a series of choices that resulted to his own death.
The judge said the garage had a list of safety issues but none that resulted in the death of the trained mechanic.
According to Global News, automotive repair instructor and expert witness, David Giles testified in court stating that he would never use a torch to remove a gas tank, especially in an enclosed space. He also said the shop was chaotic and messy.
The judge found Hoyeck not guilty because he did not tell Kempton to use the torch and was out of the room when he did use it.
