Law360 Canada ( October 30, 2026, 12:38 PM EDT) -- Appeal by the Crown from a judgment affirming Zadeh’s acquittals on charges of dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. Zadeh drove through a red light at a busy downtown Vancouver intersection without slowing down or attempting to stop. His vehicle was struck by another vehicle and flipped onto the sidewalk, striking a father and his 18-month-old daughter. The father suffered severe injuries and the daughter was killed. Zadeh was charged with dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. He conceded that his driving satisfied the actus reus, leaving only mens rea at issue. The trial judge acquitted him on both counts, concluding that his three to five seconds of inattention did not constitute a marked departure from the standard of care. A majority of the Court of Appeal upheld the acquittals despite her misstatement that something more than a momentary lapse of attention was required to establish mens rea. The Crown appealed, arguing that the trial judge not only misstated the law but misapplied it by focusing on whether the inattention was momentary when a broader analysis was required. It sought convictions on the facts found at trial. Zadeh maintained that the trial judge applied the correct test and that the court should not second-guess the weight she placed on the momentary nature of the lapse relative to other factors....