Sea-Doo crash that severely injured 2 earns probation for B.C. man
A B.C. man has avoided jail time for a grim Sea-Doo crash that left two people with broken bones and concussions after their inner tube collided with a dock.
Nicholas Conville, 32, received a suspended sentence last week for dangerous operation of a watercraft in the 2015 incident on North Barriere Lake in Barriere.
It was Canada Day and he was towing two friends in an inner tube behind his Sea-Doo before the crash happened, spinning in circles and getting closer and closer to a nearby dock, according to court documents.
"There was a suggestion he thought it might be fun to splash people on the dock. He was driving the seadoo quite fast, creating an even faster whiplash effect with the inner tube," B.C. Supreme Court Justice Susan Griffin said during a sentencing hearing on June 6.
"On the third loop around, he caused the tube to whip into the dock at a considerable speed."
Both passengers flew out of the tube.
One had to be airlifted to hospital for treatment of a broken hip and concussion. The other broke an arm and suffered a concussion as well.
One the injured passengers, a woman named Asia Petis, gave a victim impact statement saying that she suffered from anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder after the crash.
"She states that she used to be a very social person but is now withdrawn. She also says she has suffered financially, as the accident has affected all aspects of her life, including work, education, and socially," the judge said.
Conville's sentence for the crash includes a year of probation, a $3,000 fine, a $200 victim surcharge and about $5,550 in restitution to Petis for her out-of-pocket expenses.
Driver 'showing off, forgetting laws of physics'
"Unlike many offences, what happened was not because of any intent to hurt or threaten someone, or to make an illicit profit, nor was it with the intent to take advantage of and prolong another person's addiction," Griffin said in her oral reasons for sentence posted online.
"Instead, what happened in this case can be summarized as being due to a relatively young man showing off, forgetting the laws of physics and overestimating his own abilities."
Griffin said Conville seemed genuinely remorseful about the crash, but she also urged him to prove he was worthy of the second chance he had received.
"You can do so not just by showing responsibility and law-abiding conduct. You can also do so by showing generosity and goodwill to others who one day might be in a vulnerable position similar to the position in which you find yourself now," the judge said.
Conville will now face a civil lawsuit Petis filed Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court.
