'Just a slow, normal left-hand turn': Driver testifies in case where cyclist paralyzed

The driver of a car involved in a crash with a cyclist testified in his own defence Friday in Charlottetown court.

• Driver's view may have been obstructed by other vehicles, traffic analyst says

Jordan Arsenault-Loeman, 25, told court he "thought it was completely safe" when he made a left turn from thenorth-bound lane of Brackley Point Road that day last August.

"It was just a slow, normal left-hand turn," he testified.

The cyclist, Alan Stanley, 60, is now paralyzed from the chest down.

Stanley was listening to the testimony, seated in a wheelchair in the public gallery of the courtroom.

Arsenault-Loemanhas pleadednot guilty to making an unsafe turn under the Highway Traffic Act.

"I was in a state of shock after I heard him hit my car," the driver testified.

'You should have waited,' says Crown

Arsenault-Loeman told court he saw only one cyclist in the oncoming bike lane on Brackley Point Road, but that cyclist was far away. He also saw an oncoming SUV moving very slowly, a few cars lengths ahead.

"You should have waited for that oncoming SUV to get out of the way," Crown prosecutor Doug Drysdale said in cross examination.

"You looked.You didn't see the bike.Seconds later, the cyclist collided with your car.Why can't you admit you weren't paying attention?" Drysdale asked.

Defence lawyer Pamela Large-Morin objected to the question and told her client not to answer.

"It's up to me to decide that," Judge John Douglas told the court.

Alan Stanley has filed a civil lawsuit against the driver. Arsenault-Loeman has filed a statement of defence in that lawsuit, claiming he is not at fault.

The trial has adjourned until later this summer.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |P.E.I. leads region in population growth
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Turn off Netflix, the sun is on the way for P.E.I.