Latest news with #dangerousDriving
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Man charged with impaired driving in fatal crash in Nanaimo, B.C.
A 47-year-old man has been charged with dangerous driving and impaired driving causing death following a two-vehicle collision last year on Vancouver Island. Samuel Brody Taylor, born in 1978, was arrested and charged this week in relation to the collision that killed a 42-year-old woman in Nanaimo, according to court records and the RCMP. A statement from the Nanaimo RCMP on Friday says Taylor was located and arrested on June 17, one day after the charges were approved by provincial prosecutors. Police were called to the crash on the Nanaimo Parkway, between the Dunster Road overpass and the Doumont Road bridge, at approximately 8:30 p.m. on August 10, 2024. Joy Pecknold, the one occupant of a northbound SUV, died in hospital after her vehicle was struck head-on by a dark-coloured sedan. The man driving the sedan was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Witnesses told investigators the car crossed a median into oncoming traffic before colliding with the SUV. The Nanaimo Parkway was closed in both directions for several hours following the collision. Taylor has been released from police custody pending his first scheduled appearance in Nanaimo provincial court on June 24. 'The victim's family were advised of Taylor's arrest,' the Nanaimo RCMP statement said. 'As the matter is before the courts, no further information will be released.'
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Man charged with attempted murder sentenced to time served for running victim over with pickup truck
A Midland, Ont. man who was accused of attempted murder for running a man over with his pickup truck last summer will soon be released from jail. Jacob Wallis, 25, pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to dangerous driving and assault with a weapon in the August 2024 attack that was recorded on surveillance video in a Midland Avenue convenience store parking lot. Justice Paul Bellefontaine, who presided by video in a Midland courtroom, accepted the defence request of time served and 45 days for breaching a release order. Wallis, the court heard, was arrested following the parking lot attack, and released a week later under strict conditions, including house arrest. Four months later, days before Christmas, police said Wallis was behind the wheel of a vehicle that fled from a R.I.D.E. check in town. Witnesses identified Wallis as the driver, and he was taken back into custody for breaching his release order. Court Exhibit - Jacob Wallis Surveillance video in a Midland, Ont., parking lot on Aug. 24, 2024. (Court Exhibit) The Crown played the shocking video of the parking lot attack for the court. Wallis was initially charged by provincial police in Midland with attempted murder, but the Crown and defence made a deal in which Wallis avoided going to trial in exchange for pleading guilty to lesser offences. Surveillance video showed Wallis, who was identified by police as the driver of the white pickup truck that night, hitting the man and launching him several metres into a curb before speeding off. The man, the court heard, was knocked unconscious and was bleeding from his head but walked away from the scene. Surveillance video - Jacob Wallis Surveillance video in a Midland, Ont., parking lot on Aug. 24, 2024. (Court Exhibit) In 2023, the Crown told the court Wallis spent 15 months behind bars for assault causing bodily harm, saying he clearly had not learned his lesson. Still, the out-of-town judge sentenced Wallis to time served, crediting him with nine months in pre-sentence custody for dangerous driving and assault with a weapon, finding the sentence fell within the appropriate range for the offence. Justice Bellefontaine said though Wallis displayed 'horrible driving' and intended 'to cause significant bodily harm' and 'should've been a lot more conscious' of his decision-making that night - the attack took place during a 'relatively short period of time' after Wallis had been provoked by the victim. Defence lawyer D'Arcy Leitch told the court on the night of the attack, the victim made a remark to Wallis about his brother who had recently passed away from leukemia. Leitch said the man told Wallis 'I heard your brother got what he deserved' which then set Wallis off. The defence called the gravity of the offence 'relatively low' because the victim fully recovered from his minor injuries. Jacob Wallis Jacob Wallis Justice Bellefontaine credited Wallis for being a steadily employed and longtime contributing member of society, who the court heard had worked from the age of 16 and was backed by a supportive family. The Crown told the court prior to running the man over that night, Wallis was seen trying to disguise his face while holding a weapon up his sleeve. The Crown asked Wallis be sentenced to between 18 and 24 months. The judge ruled Wallis will spend about 45 more days in jail for breaching the conditions of his release by violating house arrest and being behind the wheel while fleeing the police spot check. Wallis was also placed on probation and is barred from having weapons on him for 10 years. All other charges against Wallis, including attempted murder, were withdrawn. Once he is released from custody in about a month, Wallis will be banned from driving for two years.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Brampton man arrested after Guelph police officer dragged by vehicle
One of the new marked hybrid Guelph police cars. (@GuelphPolice) A Brampton man who allegedly dragged an officer while trying to flee from Guelph Police was arrested on Wednesday. On Monday, someone reported a possible theft at a business on Woodlawn Road West around 12:15 p.m. Three men were believed to be involved. An officer found two men sitting in a black Mercedes and used his cruiser to block the vehicle in. According to police, when the officer asked the driver to give him the keys to the vehicle, the driver held up the keys and, before the officer could grab them, the driver suddenly reversed the Mercedes. The officer was allegedly dragged briefly, but was not seriously hurt. Police said the driver drove around the officer's cruiser and sped away from the parking lot. The driver was later identified. On Wednesday, a 40-year-old man from Brampton was arrested. He was charged with dangerous driving, assault with a weapon and flight from police.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Mother of man killed in crash appeals to commercial drivers to prioritise safety
The mother of a 24-year-old man killed in a collision with a lorry has appealed to drivers of all commercial vehicles to put safety above getting to their destination. Maria Sheridan, mother of Rian Sheridan, of Cluainluáin, Renvyle, Co Galway , said too many lives have been lost on the roads and many of the losses are avoidable. She said her son had 'lost his life in unnecessary and violent circumstances. There is no comeback from this'. She said the driver of the lorry had 'consciously taken chances' resulting in the fatal crash. READ MORE Shaun Curran (32), of Middle Dore, Bunbeg, Co Donegal , appeared before Judge Kenneth Connolly on Wednesday on a guilty plea of dangerous driving causing the death of Rian Sheridan on March 27th, 2024, at Newtown, Roscommon. The court heard the incident was caused by a blow out from a defective tyre, which took place on the main Athlone to Roscommon Road. Evidence was given that the front tyre was badly worn and unroadworthy, with CCTV footage also showing that Mr Curran had checked the tyre twice on the date of the collision. It was further stated that the defendant travelled 814 kms on the day, had not taken proper breaks and had four speeding infringements. He had changed driver's cards on the vehicle and had being using another person's card at the time of the collision. Harrowing victim impact statements were given by the deceased man's parents, three sisters and his partner, who referred to Mr Sheridan as a person 'who brought joy and happiness, was kind and had a loving heart, an honest decent hardworking man' who loved music and football. Finian Sheridan, father of Rian, said the incident was caused by an 'irresponsible and inconsiderate decision'. He said he had lost his son 'in circumstances which were avoidable. Society should not accept that. It is totally unacceptable that as a driver he put other road users at risk when he shouldn't have'. He saidif Mr Curran had not crashed on this occasion 'he would have continued until he caused another death'. Aine Griffin, partner of the deceased, spoke of how a future with marriage and children with Mr Sheridan had been taken from her. She said he 'was my morning, noon and night'. She said 'he was a talented musician that would light up a room'. They had hoped to travel before settling down to have a family. She recalled the day of the fatality when she spoke to Mr Sheridan on the phone, as she was in Dublin and he was on his way to football training at Kilbride GAA. She said she received an automatic SOS text from Mr Sheridan's phone and thought he had come across a crash. She began to panic when she rang him and there was no answer. 'That was the worst night of my life,' she told the court. When she discovered Mr Sheridan had died as a result of his injuries in Portiuncula Hospital, she said she 'lost everything that night'. She said Mr Sheridan was a responsible and competent driver, kept his car in good condition and she always felt safe with him. 'This could have been prevented. He does not get to live his life because of your actions,' she said to the defendant. His mother Maria said she suffers from PTSD and is constantly thinking of how her son felt as he saw the truck in his path. She thinks of his struggle to avoid the truck and said she imagines the fear on his face. 'A mother to lose a child is not a natural thing, I will never get to hug or kiss him, never get to chat again,' she said. She said to Mr Curran: 'Whatever the consequences you face that will never be enough.' 'Rian had one precious life ahead of him and me and my family will never be the same again.' Des Dockery BL, appearing for the defendant, said his client had a 'fledgling business' with three trucks all of which he was repaying loans on. He read out an apology on Mr Curran's behalf to the family and friends of Mr Sheridan. The judge adjourned the matter until June 24th for sentencing and remanded the defendant in custody.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Driver who struck and killed eight-month-old baby in her pram after accidentally hitting the accelerator has prison sentence reduced
A driver who struck and killed an eight-month-old baby in her pram outside a hospital has had her prison sentence reduced at the Court of Appeal. Bridget Curtis, 71, lost control of her automatic BMW 520d car after accidentally pressing down on the accelerator outside Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on June 21, 2023. The company director was helping her daughter locate her handbag in the backseat when it propelled forward, causing it to mount a kerb and collide with the pushchair of Mabli Cariad Hall. Mabli had just said a final goodbye to her paternal grandmother Betty Hall, who was receiving end-of-life care at the hospital moments before the collision. The youngster, whose first name is Welsh for 'lovable' and middle name means 'love', sustained fatal head injuries and died in hospital in the early hours of June 25. Curtis, who was 69 at the time of the offence, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving last September and was jailed for four years at Swansea Crown Court in January. At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, her barrister said the sentence was 'manifestly excessive' and should be reduced, stating that the case concerned a 'lapse of concentration'. Three senior judges ruled that Curtis's sentence was 'manifestly excessive' and reduced it to one of three years, while increasing her disqualification from driving from six years to seven-and-a-half years. Mr Justice Butcher, sitting with Lord Justice Bean and Judge Richard Marks KC, said: 'We say at once that this is a truly tragic case. 'We have read the very moving victim personal statements of Mabli's parents, expressing their grief at the death of their beloved baby. 'No one could fail to sympathise with them for the appalling loss that they have sustained.' Curtis, who attended the appeal via video link from HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire and sat in a wheelchair throughout, had no previous convictions at the time of the incident and had held a clean driving licence for more than 50 years. Her sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court heard that on the day of the collision, she had driven her daughter to an outpatient appointment at the hospital. When her daughter struggled to find her handbag in the rear of the car, Curtis unlocked the door and turned around to assist her. But as she did so, she pressed down on the accelerator of her car, which had been left running and was not in park mode. The car reached speeds of more than 29mph and travelled 28 metres in around four seconds, mounting the kerb of a grass seating area and causing Mabli to be thrown out of her pushchair. The car only stopped when it collided with a tree, having also caused injuries to Mabli's father Rob Hall. Mabli, the youngest of six siblings, received treatment at the Withybush Hospital, as well as hospitals in Cardiff and Bristol, dying in the arms of her parents on June 25. Her mother, Gwen Hall, told the sentencing hearing that her daughter was 'so bright, so beautiful, so full of love and life'. She said: 'She hadn't crawled yet. She had said "Mama" for the first time only the day before. We had so much planned with her. 'It was nowhere near the time for her to be taken away from us. She was my baby. My eight-month-old baby.' John Dye, for Curtis, told Swansea Crown Court that she was a mother-of-four and grandmother of 10, who was 'absolutely devastated' by the incident. Appearing again for Curtis at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, Mr Dye said: 'This is a tragic case, but the issue really was one of pedal confusion.' He continued: 'Objectively, this is clearly dangerous driving, but in terms of culpability, these four seconds of driving were more akin to, maybe not a momentary lapse, but a lapse of concentration.' Craig Jones, for the Crown Prosecution Service, made no oral submissions to the court. Reducing the sentence, Mr Justice Butcher said: 'True it is that the appellant did not intend to cause any harm, and true also that the mistake was of a short duration, but the driving was well over the threshold of dangerousness.' He continued that Curtis would have known that she had stopped 'in a busy area outside a hospital with potentially very vulnerable pedestrians around', and that four or five seconds 'is far from being a negligible duration'. He added that the court accepted that Curtis's remorse was 'genuine', stating: 'It was inattention and confusion as to which pedal she was pressing that caused this tragedy.'
