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The lawyer for a Quebec man charged with killing three pedestrians with his truck has told a jury the deaths were an accident, not a crime.

Steeve Gagnon’s lawyer said during final arguments that his client had reached down to retrieve an e-cigarette pod and accidentally drove off the road in a moment of inattention.

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Hugo Caissy told jurors Gagnon’s story was “reckless, but not implausible” and that his client should be acquitted.

Gagnon is charged with three counts of first-degree murder and the attempted murder of nine other people on March 13, 2023, in Amqui, Que., northeast of Quebec City.

The lawyer says the truck drove onto the sidewalk in five different spots, including two where no pedestrians were present.

Caissy told the jury that even if they conclude Gagnon acted deliberately, there is not enough evidence to show his act was premeditated.