DUI leads to lawsuit costs
Kamloops man who instigated a police chase on icy roads in 2010 that led to an RCMP SUV plowing through the front door of a North Shore house is on the hook for a chunk of the homeowners’ ensuing expenses, a judge has ruled.
On Dec. 7, 2010, 34-year-old Earl William was driving drunk when a Mountie attempted to pull him over on a North Kamloops road.
Rather than stop, William sped away from police — despite the icy road conditions caused by freezing rain.
One of the officers involved in the chase was a supervising corporal driving an RCMP SUV.
She lost control of her vehicle and it crashed through the front door of a duplex at 978 Jasper Ave.
William was charged with impaired driving and dangerous driving.
He pleaded guilty to both counts a few months later and was fined $1,500, in addition to being handed an 18-month driving ban.
The owners of the half-duplex — Ronald and Carla Sjodin — filed a lawsuit against the attorney general of Canada, the RCMP officer driving the SUV, ICBC and William.
The Sjodins were looking for nearly $18,000, including more than $7,500 for hotels, more than $4,000 for food and about $4,500 for incidentals.
The matter concluded last week when a judge ordered the defendants — including William — to pay $11,815.83 to the Sjodins within 30 days.
The decision does not include a breakdown outlining who is responsible for paying which part of the expenses incurred.
Following the incident, the Sjodins were not allowed back in their house for two months.
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters.
We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.