Moments before their truck was rammed from behind, people inside described hearing the approach of a “high-revving” engine as they were stopped at the intersection of 22nd Street and Avenue P in Saskatoon.
Dustin Joseph Gordon Lalonde was driving his quad-size truck westbound on 22nd Street, going 139 km/hr just seconds before he violently rear-ended the truck at 113 km/hr, Crown prosecutor Michael Pilon said.
When Justice Daryl Labach asked what led to someone driving that fast down one of Saskatoon’s main arteries, defence lawyer Ron Piche said he’d never asked his client that question.
Lalonde, 28, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in Court of Queen’s Bench to dangerous driving causing bodily harm, accounting for the three people injured in the chain-reaction crash that damaged four vehicles on March 28, 2015. The victims described prolonged headaches, neck and back pain as well as anxiety issues stemming from the severe impact.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Lalonde’s truck ramped into the air, hit a telephone pole and flipped onto its roof, sliding into the intersection. When police arrived, they noticed he was stumbling around, slurring his words and smelled like alcohol.
Pilon said although Lalonde’s alcohol consumption was an agreed fact, there were issues with the obtaining of blood samples. As a result, his initial 11-count indictment, which contained charges of impaired driving and driving with a blood-alcohol content over .08 causing bodily harm, was withdrawn and replaced with a single charge of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
Pilon argued for a one-year jail sentence followed by some sort of driving ban. He said the high rate of speed and injuries are aggravating factors.
Lalonde had prior tickets for stunting, speeding and driving without due care and attention as well as another at-fault rear-end collision in 2015, according to an SGI driver’s abstract listed in court. He also took the Driving While Impaired program three times and “apparently learned nothing,” Pilon said.
There is no evidence that Lalonde was driving for a prolonged period of time and none of the victims were significantly injured, Piche noted when arguing for a 90-day intermittent jail sentence followed by three years of probation.
He said the sentence should not include a driving ban, as Lalonde hasn’t had a licence since his arrest yet continues to work for an employer who describes him as “reliable and hardworking.” Piche called Lalonde a “salt of the earth person” who found himself in a difficult situation.
Court heard he is also paying off $30,000 for the four vehicles that were damaged in the crash.
A written decision is expected in June.
