Grand Manan teen gets probation for dangerous driving causing death
An 18-year-old Grand Manan woman was sentenced to two years probation, ordered to perform 150 hours of community service and banned from driving for five years in connection with a motor vehicle accident last year that killed a fellow teenager from the island.
She was also ordered to explore counselling.
The woman pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death and three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
The woman, who was was 17 at the time of the accident, was the driver of a vehicle that lost control on Whistle Road on July 13, 2014.
The sentencing hearing Wednesday heard that island residents refer to the stretch of Whistle Road where the crash occurred as "Thrill Hill" due to its large drops.
The driver was prosecuted and pleaded guilty under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, so her identity may not be disclosed.
Killed in the crash was Danielle Shaw Park, 17, of Grand Manan. Shaw was the valedictorian of the 2014 graduating class at Grand Manan Community School.
She was also a member of New Brunswick's Canada Games basketball team and was set to attend Mount Allison University in Sackville.
The Youth Criminal Justice Act also places restrictions on identifying the victim in crimes committed by youths. Park's parents have given permission to CBC News to make her identity known.
Park's family was not in court for sentencing. The prosecutor said they were not asking for retribution.
The vehicle the five teens were in lost control, rolled over and landed on its roof. They ranged in age from 14 to 17 years.
A community impact statement that was presented to the court said the crash happened during "innocent, harmless fun."
The driver cried in court on Wednesday as she read a statement said she was "tremendously sad" and "tremendously sorry."
In making a sentencing recommendation to Judge Henrik Tonning, the Crown called for a sentence of 100 to 200 hours of community service and a five-year ban on driving.
In handing down the sentence, Tonning noted that, "No one, when they head up Whistle Road to Thrill Hill, even thinks about the consequences."
The sentencing hearing also heard that many islanders have sought driving thrills on that section of Whistle Road, but Tonning said "the fact that everyone does it, doesn't make it right."
Tonning said it was obvious there was no intent to cause any harm in the crash.
But he said he had to rule in a way that makes it clear the crash and resulting death is unacceptable.
Tonning said if the driver had been an adult, she would normally be facing a sentence that involved incarceration.
David Lutz, a defence lawyer, told the court he hoped no one would ever again use the so-called Thrill Hill for anything but to get to the other side and called for signs to be posted about the danger.
The charges were laid on Feb. 19.
