EDMONTON – The driver of the vehicle that struck a taxi, killing a passenger in October was given a five-year prison sentence on Friday for charges in two separate driving incidents.
Chris Lindgren, who is now 22, was driving a BMW that collided with a Yellow Cab near 107 Street and 121 Avenue on Oct. 2. The crash severely injured all three passengers in the taxi, as well as the driver.
One of the passengers – 25-year-old Tyler Isbister – died in hospital.
Lindgren, from Grande Prairie, was charged with three counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm, one count of impaired driving causing death, and one count of criminal hit-and-run.
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He plead guilty to the five charges.
Lindgren was sentenced for two incidents. In addition to the Edmonton crash, he was also facing another impaired driving causing bodily harm charge from an incident in Grande Prairie from July 2011.
The Crown was seeking a global sentence of 5.5 years. The Defence was seeking a global sentence between 3.5 and 5.5 years.
Lindgren received a global sentence of five years for both incidents. The sentence included four years behind bars for the Edmonton crash, plus one year for the Grande Prairie incident.
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“It’s not going to bring him back no matter how long he gets. 10 years, two years, five years – it doesn’t bring him back,” said Tyler’s fiancée, Katerina Masson. “He ruined everything for me. My whole future.”
On Friday, court heard how Lindgren and his passenger ran from the scene, initially lied to police, and how the first sample of blood taken from him showed more than one-and-a-half times the legal limit for alcohol.
Court also heard that Lindgren was an unlicensed driver who only had a learner’s permit.
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Isbister’s family was in court Friday for the sentencing hearing.
“Tyler made the right choices,” Rebecca said in her victim impact statement. “He took a cab home.”
“I know this pain will burn inside us until we are buried beside him,” Isbister’s father Brent added.
Isbister was 25 years old when he was killed and engaged to be married.
His fiancée was also in the taxi when it was hit, and called Lindgren a coward.
“You left all four of us alone and you left Tyler to die,” said Masson. “Chris, I wish you killed yourself in that collision.”
Isbister’s organs were donated, and helped six different people.
In court on Friday, Lindgren cried as he read a prepared statement. He said running away from the scene was cowardly.
“I am beside myself with guilt,” Lindgren said. “If we could switch places… I would do so in a heartbeat.”
With files from Vinesh Pratap, Global News
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