A Prince George man who caused a head-on collision when he swerved into oncoming traffic while driving drunk has been issued a 18-month conditional sentence order followed by two years probation.
Colin Chad Connell, born 1991, has also been prohibited from being found in the driver's side of a vehicle for the 3 1/2-year duration of the terms meted out Wednesday for the Dec. 28, 2020 incident that left two people with serious and lasting injuries.
According to a summary of the circumstances, the collision occurred just before 7 p.m. at the crest of University Way when the driver of a large pickup truck saw headlights oncoming in his lane from what turned out to be Connell's sport utility vehicle. He tried to avoid the SUV by swerving left into the opposite lane only to see Connell swerve back as well.
Connell showed signs of drunkenness and later produced blood-alcohol concentrations of .14 and .15, both well above the legal limit of .08.
The pickup's driver, meanwhile, suffered a concussion and the passenger a broken ankle, three broken ribs and a torn spleen. Both continue to suffer fallout from their injuries, the court has heard.
His pickup truck written off, the driver, who had earned his N just a month before and had been employed as a delivery driver, was off work for the four months it took for him to be able to purchase a new vehicle, and estimated he lost a "few grand" in foregone wages.
Whenever he is on the road, he remains anxious particularly when he sees headlights coming towards him and will pull off to the roadside. And because it was the second concussion he has experienced, he has trouble with memory loss.
The passenger, who spent four days in hospital, still has "weak lungs" and a "messed up" ankle.
Sentencing for Connell was contested with Crown counsel seeking one year in jail and 18 months probation. (Both Crown and defence agreed on a three-year driving prohibition).
In seeking the jail term, Crown noted the level of Connell's intoxication and that he had previously served a conditional sentence order - which is served in the community as opposed to in jail - issued in April 2017 for assault with a weapon from an "alcohol-fueled" incident in May 2015.
In reaching his decision, Provincial Court Judge Peter McDermick described Connell's latest offence as serious and dangerous but also noted the steps he had taken since then to turn his life around. Connell no longer drinks and has gone through 20 sessions of counselling, the court was told.
Connell has also "repeatedly" expressed remorse, pleaded guilty to two counts of driving while impaired causing injury, has no previous convictions for motor vehicle offences and presents a low risk to re-offend, the judge also noted, and found his previous conviction, although involving alcohol was "not strictly related" to the most recent one.
For the first year of the conditional sentence order, Connell will be confined to his home around the clock except when at work and in event of a medical emergency. For the remainder, he will be subject to a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for the remainder. He must also complete 100 hours of community work service.
He must also abstain from alcohol for the term and for the two years of probation to follow.
Concurrent to being prohibited from being in the driver's side of a vehicle during both the conditional sentence order and the probation, Connell was also issued a three-year driving prohibition, which carries a stiffer sentence.
