A Nova Scotia man was sentenced on June 4 for his role in a single-vehicle drunk driving accident that claimed the life of a 51-year-old man. The 52-year-old Cumberland County resident was given a custodial sentence of four and a half years in addition to a 20-year driving ban after entering a plea of guilty to charges that he had operated a vehicle in a criminally negligent manner. The fatal accident took place in Pugwash Junction in 2011.
The man lost control of his vehicle after attending a pig roast gathering. Witnesses say that the man’s truck was travelling at a speed of up to 120 kilometres per on a street near the pig roast immediately before the crash. This is double the posted speed limit. After losing control, the truck struck a guardrail with sufficient force to propel it 150 feet. The man’s passenger died from head and abdominal injuries after being ejected from the vehicle.
Police were told that the man had been drinking all day, and he had been warned by others at the gathering that his reckless driving was dangerous. Emergency response personnel found the man lying in a ditch after the accident. He told them that he had no recollection of the events. The man was then transported to hospital where a blood sample was used to perform a toxicology test. Analysis of the test results indicate that the man’s blood alcohol level at the time of the accident was between .14 percent and .19 percent.
The families of those killed in an accident may pursue legal remedies against those responsible if negligence or recklessness played a part. A lawyer may file a wrongful death lawsuit on their behalf seeking compensation for the financial hardship suffered when a relied upon source of household income is lost.
Source: The Citizen-Record, “Polley sentenced for criminal negligence causing death“, June 04, 2014