An impaired driver who crashed into a pedestrian, causing her to be pinned beneath his pickup truck, has been sentenced to one year in prison and a five-year driving ban.
Sean Garrett Duffy, 31, pleaded guilty to charges of impaired driving causing bodily harm and failing to stop at an accident. His jail term, recently issued in Abbotsford provincial court, will be followed by three years of probation.
A third charge – dangerous driving causing bodily harm – was stayed.
The crash took place Feb. 1, 2016 in the 30700 block of Cardinal Avenue, near Highstreet Shopping Centre.
Duffy was driving eastbound when he hit a 19-year-old girl who was on the sidewalk. The young woman was pinned beneath the pickup, requiring emergency responders and bystanders to free her.
She suffered serious injuries, but survived.
While on the scene of the crash, police received reports of another collision earlier in the 30200 block of Automall Drive.
Witnesses described seeing a truck sideswipe a parked vehicle in the Fraser Valley Auto Mall before departing at a high speed.
Investigators soon confirmed that both collisions involved the same driver. They believed he became unconscious before veering off the road on Cardinal Avenue and striking the pedestrian.
Duffy was also sentenced to a one-year jail term for a charge of aggravated assault related to a stabbing that took place Sept. 22, 2016 on Elgon Court.
In that incident, police were called after reports that a man had been stabbed during an argument with his roommate.
Police found Duffy not far from the scene about 15 minutes later. The victim suffered non-life-threatening wounds to his torso and arm.
Also during his sentencing, Duffy received 21 days in prison for failing to stop at an accident in July 2014 in McLure, B.C., located north of Kamloops.