Sentencing today for driver in crash that killed two students

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This article was published 01/04/2015 (4017 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Family and friends of two University of Manitoba students killed by a reckless driver filled a Winnipeg courtroom today and presented nearly two hours of powerful victim impact statements.

A two-day sentencing hearing began for the Winnipeg woman who was drinking, speeding and texting when she caused the horrific October 2010 crash. The accused, who can’t be named because she was 17 at the time of the tragedy, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

The Crown is asking for her to receive an adult sentence, which would open the door for more serious sanctions and allow her name to published. Her lawyer wants her to stay under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Senhit Mehari, 19, and Amutha Subramaniam, 17, suffered fatal injuries as they drove home from a Halloween party. Both were graduates of Dakota Collegiate who were studying business administration at the U of M.

The girls, along with three friends, were riding in a Pontiac Sunfire south on St. Mary’s Road when a westbound Chevrolet Cavalier ran a red light and slammed into the driver’s side of the Sunfire at the intersection of Bishop Grandin Boulevard.

The victims were just minutes from home when they were blindsided.

“I was robbed of my sister, my mentor, my best friend,” Yonatan Mehari told court Wednesday. His statement, read on behalf of the family, described Senhit as a “rising star” who was going to make a huge impact on the world.

“She was an amazing and beautiful person inside and out. Senhit was humble, selfless, motivated, intelligent and one of the hardest working people I know. It’s hard to meet another person like her,” he said.

Heidi Subramaniam, sister of Amutha, lashed out at the young driver for causing so much pain.

“I was her big sister. I failed to protect her from someone who had no regard for human life,” she told court. “She was sweet, loving, carrying, honest. She deserves justice. Her dreams were taken away without her consent. Her future was taken away without her consent. One person’s reckless, preventable behaviour ruined her life and now ours as well.”

Court also heard Wednesday from three other occupants of the vehicle who were injured. They described how fortunate they were to survive the crash that killed their two friends.

“It was a bad dream that I woke up to every day,” said Lysbeth Arthur, who suffered a broken clavicle and traumatic brain injury that required extensive rehabilitation.

“We lost two great people who were going to make a positive contribution to society,” she said.

Crown attorney Susan Baragar told court the accused had made the decision to drink and drive that night – even though she was a novice driver on probation at the time, which meant she wasn’t allowed to have any alcohol in her system in order to get behind the wheel. She had been drinking at a house party that night and was going close to 20 km/h over the speed limit at the moment of impact, court was told.

“There was no evidence of any attempt to stop,” said Baragar.

An examination of the accused’s phone shows she was texting on her Blackberry with friends at the time of the crash. She also had alcohol in her system — in the range of between .07 and .12 based on an extrapolation. The Crown originally laid impaired-driving charges but stayed those on the grounds there was some doubt as to whether she would have been over the legal limit of .08 at the time of impact, because the blood wasn’t taken until some time after the crash.

The driver told police and paramedics she had downed “half a bottle” of rum that evening. Following the crash, she made no inquiries about the condition of the victims but did ask when she might get her licence back.

“Well, my driver’s licence is very precious to me,” she told a police officer. As well, she bristled when police told her that part of her release conditions would include abstaining from alcohol.

“Does that mean I can’t drink on my 18th birthday?” she asked. The accused has been free on bail and is now living in Alberta.