Renée Pelland.

A Canadian man can put “the worst day of his life” behind him after he was yesterday acquitted of being responsible for a car crash which caused his wife’s death in 2011.

After more than two-and-a-half years and some 15 flights between Malta and Quebec to attend sittings, Jean Guy Legendre breathed a huge sigh of relief as he walked out of the courtroom yesterday shortly after being cleared.

Shaking the hand of his lawyer Stefano Filletti, Mr Legendre, 69, immediately phoned his son in Paris to tell him the good news.

Magistrate Edwina Grima found that he was not to blame for the accident and had been driving diligently when it occurred.

While the police are expected to appeal, Mr Legendre is planning to sue the driver of the other car, 28-year-old Clayton James Fenech.

Mr Legendre’s nightmare started on July 16, 2011, when he was driving a Chevrolet Kalos in Triq l-Infetti below Mdina’s walls near Saqqajja. His wife, Renée Pelland, 63, was his passenger.

They were involved in a collision with a BMW Z3 sports car driven by Mr Fenech. Mr Fenech’s friend, Mark Camilleri, was a passenger.

A third car, a Toyota Vitz driven by Paulina Buhagiar, 55, crashed into the two cars after the initial impact. Ms Buhagiar carried two passengers, one of them her four-year-old grandson.

In the accident, Mr Legendre, his wife, Mr Fenech, Ms Buhagiar and the small boy were all injured.

The Canadian was originally charged with seriously injuring three people, including his wife, slightly injuring a fourth person and damaging his rental car and a BMW sports car. But after his wife died, the charges were increased in severity to involuntary homicide.

Mr Fenech is facing similar charges in pending proceedings.

Emerging from the court house, Mr Legendre recalled “the worst day of his life”.

After the crash, his wife got out of the car and went to lean against a wall when all of the sudden she said she had lost her sight. Suffering from broken bones himself, Mr Legendre tried his best to help her until an ambulance arrived and took her to hospital.

She was taken into surgery and at one point a Franciscan priest was called to give her the last rites. It was only hours later, when Mr Legendre had returned to his own hospital bed, that he was told she was in a deep coma.

But after a few weeks she made a dramatic recovery, even managing to start climbing stairs, which amazed her team of doctors.

Her family’s elation was short-lived however – she died of complications resulting from internal bleeding, Mr Legendre said.

“When the charges were increased in severity, my heart ached. It was like I had been dealt a second blow,” Mr Legendre said, adding that he was so distraught and could not imagine being found guilty in such a situation.

In the case, court appointed expert Mario Buttigieg reached the conclusion that the BMW crossed into the lane occupied by Mr Legendre’s car just before the accident took place.

Mr Fenech had alleged that Mr Buttigieg had a conflict of interest because he had worked for Gasan Mamo, the insurers of Mr Legendre’s car.

Magistrate Grima dismissed the allegation. She said that after going into the minute details of the facts and comparing them with the conclusions reached by Mr Buttigieg, she found no reason to censure him as they were nothing but the application of common sense to the dynamics of the accident.

After considering the evidence, the magistrate said: “All this therefore leaves no doubt in the mind of the court that the accused was driving diligently, with moderate speed and on his side of the road and could never be held responsible for the collision between his car and that of the injured party.”

Lawyer Jennifer Shaw also appeared for Mr Legendre.