January 29, 2015 - 4:40 PM
KAMLOOPS, B.C. - A man charged after a fatal boat crash on British Columbia's Shuswap Lake is expected to go to trial in mid-February.
Leon Reinbrecht is charged with criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm in the death of 53-year-old Kenneth Brown.
The accident occurred at the end of the July 2010 Canada Day weekend fireworks display when a five-metre-long speedboat crashed into a houseboat, killing Brown and injuring eight of the 16 people aboard both vessels.
The Crown is scheduled to call as many as 50 witnesses to testify in the B.C. Supreme Court trial that is also set to hear from Reinbrecht.
If he is found guilty, the defence is expected to file a constitutional challenge based on alleged trial delays by the Crown.
Reinbrecht was charged in December 2011 following a 17-month investigation by the RCMP, with the assistance from Transport Canada investigators. (Kamloops This Week)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015