Humboldt Sentence

Hogie135 · #1 03-22-2019, 11:07 AM

8 years for each person killed and 5 years for each injured. To be served concurrently.

Burrowing Owl · #2 03-22-2019, 11:08 AM

DISGUSTING. With good behaviour he will be out in 4 years. UNACCEPTABLE.

Scott N · #3 03-22-2019, 11:10 AM

That's about what I expected.

elkhunter11 · #4 03-22-2019, 11:13 AM

Absolutely disgusting, concurrent sentences are worthless. Hopefully there is at least civil action, so his punishment isn't over in 3 or 4 years.

bobtodrick · #5 03-22-2019, 11:17 AM

I'm torn over this one. If he blew through a stop sign and hit a car with a lone occupant he'd have gotten a year at most. Unfortunately it was a bus. It's not like he said 'hey, a bus...I'm going to get a whole bunch of people at once'.
And face it...it's not because of his eight year sentence we are going to see a dramatic decline in distracted/drunk/dangerous driving offenses...not at all.

1899b · #6 03-22-2019, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogie135

8 years for each person killed and 5 years for each injured. To be served concurrently.

are you sure?? I’m reading 8 years total not 8 years for each death.

Hogie135 · #7 03-22-2019, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1899b

are you sure?? I’m reading 8 years total not 8 years for each death.

All served concurrently, so 8 total

Cement Bench · #8 03-22-2019, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1899b

are you sure?? I’m reading 8 years total not 8 years for each death.

That is what concurrent is,

all,served at the same start time

1899b · #9 03-22-2019, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogie135

All served concurrently, so 8 total

Ok understood. Doesn’t matter. Won’t bring my stepsons cousin back. Damn...

wildwoods · #10 03-22-2019, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1899b

are you sure?? I’m reading 8 years total not 8 years for each death.

Concurrently not consecutively. Meaning they will all be served at the same time.

I think the sentence is too long. Although there are many family members who have not come to forgiveness and I felt they needed to see him thrown away for a long time to heal. So saying that, there had to be a balance and I think the judge got it right.
I'm sad today. For the driver yes but mainly for the poor folks who will never be the same. I can't even comprehend their sufferings.

1899b · #11 03-22-2019, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildwoods

Concurrently not consecutively. Meaning they will all be served at the same time.

I think the sentence is too long. Although there are many family members who have not come to forgiveness and I felt they needed to see him thrown away for a long time to heal. So saying that, there had to be a balance and I think the judge got it right.
I'm sad today. For the driver yes but mainly for the poor folks who will never be the same. I can't even comprehend their sufferings.

This was felt under my roof and close to home. But I too am very sad for the driver. He didn’t venture out that day to do what he did.

It’s a sad day again. Still...

Sooner · #12 03-22-2019, 11:40 AM

This guy is going to be deported next if I remember right. Does that happen before jail time or after? Does he do the time in a prison in his home country?

I think the sentence is too lenient for the carnage he caused. Something like 10 to 15, out in 8. Makes it worse if they throw him on a plane and send him home with no prison time there.

I have respect for him for admitting fault and sparing the families a trial. I'm sure he lives with guilt 24/7. That's where it ends, he has to be the poster boy for future distracted driving/impaired cases. Make an example, set a hard precedent. Will it change others bad driving habits that he goes away for a long time? Probably not.

No matter the sentence, today sucks for the families and I hope they find some comfort.

crosman177 · #13 03-22-2019, 11:53 AM

I heard rumours of deportation but all I can find so far is 8 year sentence and 10 year driving ban.

Hogie135 · #14 03-22-2019, 11:57 AM

Any sentence over 6 months means he will be deported after his sentence.

brendan's dad · #15 03-22-2019, 12:10 PM

There is folks convicted of impaired driving causing death that get less time

https://globalnews.ca/news/5082883/t...-stuart-ellis/

Not to add fuel to the fire but under current parole rules, he will be out in 1/6 of his sentence due to fact it is his 1st federal offence and it was a non-violent offence.

RBI · #16 03-22-2019, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cement Bench

That is what concurrent is,

all,served at the same start time

So the driver was actually sentenced ...in theory ...to 193 years ,

But " concurrent " makes that 8 , and the justice system probably lets
him out in 5 ...and 16/13 families lives will be changed for FOREVER !!!

Not to mention all the people that share there lives with these people .

blacknorthernjk · #17 03-22-2019, 12:26 PM

I believe his lawyer did their job well. Delay as long as possible to put as much distance between initial emotional onslaught, pour over the evidence and realize there is no defensible position so admit fault and play the responsibility card pleading on sympathy. That's as plainly as I see it, seems to have accomplished the mission.

JDK71 · #18 03-22-2019, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blacknorthernjk

I believe his lawyer did their job well. Delay as long as possible to put as much distance between initial emotional onslaught, pour over the evidence and realize there is no defensible position so admit fault and play the responsibility card pleading on sympathy. That's as plainly as I see it, seems to have accomplished the mission.

was thinking the same thing

pittman · #19 03-22-2019, 12:33 PM

I don't think it makes sense at all.

The driver didn't intend to hurt anyone that day, he just made a mistake. Who here hasn't ran a stop sign unintentionally at some time in their life? Wether or not there was a consequence is just luck.

Putting him in jail won't bring anyone back, wont heal the families, and won't heal the injuries of those still alive. It won't make the roads safer. It also won't make him a better person. He has to live with the burden of those deaths for the rest of his life, and I suspect that will carry a heavier toll than any time in jail.

In no way am I downplaying the suffering of the friends, families, and those injured. Changes to professional driver's licensing are in the pipe and will hopefully result in safer roadways. This may be the silver lining that gives some small bit of relief to all those involved.

1899b · #20 03-22-2019, 12:41 PM

A very high profile case with a huge spotlight on it. Canadian boys in the ol iron lung heading out to play a playoff game. Our game.

If this was a bunch of seniors on a bus trip to Jasper, it wouldn’t have near the emotions invested in it provincially, nationally or internationally. It’s a shame this happened and I am sad for everyone involved, my step sons family, The Broncos family, the drivers family and anyone who knew or know anyone involved. We are all now reliving it once again and will never forget.

The Elkster · #21 03-22-2019, 12:48 PM

I'm generally supportive of very stiff fines for offenses and am in support of capital punishment in certain cases.

With that said I don't think this guy deserves to get lynched. This appears to be the result of one mistake that many have made and he was extremely unlucky in the entire circumstance. Basically he got a worst case scenario for his actions. I just don't see how a harsh verdict in this case is going to change anything other than to satiate some victims need for blood. If there was some evidence of gross negligence or a history of bad actions with regard to the company or worker then I can see it. I'm talking multiple driving convictions (above industry norms) or maybe coworkers testifying on his aggressive driving or his negligent attitude towards safety even after being warned/educated then I'd be all for throwing the book at him. Stuff like claims he read books while driving or bragged about repeatedly driving while being half asleep...as I know happens out there regularly.

Everyone loses in this case. Sad

JamesB · #22 03-22-2019, 01:01 PM

Of course he never intended to cause an accident. In most cases irresponsible drivers don't. And it is true that many others make the same mistakes and never kill or injure anyone. However there are penalties for getting caught violating traffic laws, and for causing accidents, deaths and injuries. And the penalties are supposed to hurt, because they are there to try to modify people's behaviour. Sure it sucks to be the one being made an example out of, but at the end of the day, if you follow the rules, you won't be held accountable.
I think he got off lightly, and I hope the company that hired him, and failed to ensure he was properly trained is also held fully to account.

bobtodrick · #23 03-22-2019, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesB

I think he got off lightly, and I hope the company that hired him, and failed to ensure he was properly trained is also held fully to account.

As I previously said, he doesn't deserve to by lynched.
On the other hand the owner of the company knowingly broke rules and regulations to put the driver on the road.
IMO he should be the one people should have a beef with.

Big Sky · #24 03-22-2019, 01:08 PM

IMO, prison serves two purposes.
1 To protect society from dangerous criminals
2 To punish people convicted of crimes.

I don't believe that society needs protection from this truck driver, other than what a driving ban would provide.

I was actually hoping that this case would result in some creative sentencing that would punish the driver appropriately, while not costing taxpayers $75k per year to house the guy.

JDK71 · #25 03-22-2019, 01:12 PM

deport him and ban him from Canada end of story save tax money

pittman · #26 03-22-2019, 01:14 PM

It still seems unjust to me to sentence one person to 8 years in jail because he got unlucky, while others who run stop signs and get caught simply get a ticket. Their intentions were the same so why would the punishment be different?

The reality is that people aren't perfect. They make mistakes all the time. Jail can give someone time to develop remorse or change a persons behaviour if they've shown to be repeatedly disobedient of the law, but it won't make anyone make fewer unintentional mistakes.

To make the roads safer (which is the ultimate goal here) you need to build in redundancy and safety into the system. This is exactly why we have speed limits, and pay people to enforce them. Improving the training and licensing for professional driver's will likely have an impact as well. Other interventions could include more visibly apparent stop signs and/or rumble strips leading up to critical intersections. All of these safety factors help minimize the inevitable mistakes that make us human.

JDK71 · #27 03-22-2019, 01:19 PM

why have laws at all / if everything is an accident it is sad to see people always trying to find a way to help the law breakers

The Elkster · #28 03-22-2019, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamesB

Of course he never intended to cause an accident. In most cases irresponsible drivers don't. And it is true that many others make the same mistakes and never kill or injure anyone. However there are penalties for getting caught violating traffic laws, and for causing accidents, deaths and injuries. And the penalties are supposed to hurt, because they are there to try to modify people's behaviour. Sure it sucks to be the one being made an example out of, but at the end of the day, if you follow the rules, you won't be held accountable.
I think he got off lightly, and I hope the company that hired him, and failed to ensure he was properly trained is also held fully to account.

I'm willing to bet anyone that's been driving for +10 years has done something at least as bad (running a stop sign type thing but lucky nobody was coming the other way) because humans are humans and make mistakes. We drive thousands of miles every year. We all have bad days, distractions, unusual circumstances, unusual conditions, unfamiliar driving routes. I fail to see how a thousand harsh jail sentences for such mistakes is going to change that. If we accept harsh punishments for honest mistakes then hold onto your hats cause everyone is going to be in the slammer soon enough.

The Elkster · #29 03-22-2019, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDK71

why have laws at all / if everything is an accident it is sad to see people always trying to find a way to help the law breakers

So you don't see a difference between someone knowingly/calculatingly breaking the law Vs unknowingly/unintentionally breaking the law? I'll never get some peoples thinking.

JDK71 · #30 03-22-2019, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Elkster

So you don't see a difference between someone knowingly/calculatingly breaking the law Vs unknowingly/unintentionally breaking the law? I'll never get some peoples thinking.

yes I could say the same as well