The three young men climbed out of their disabled pickup, incredulous at what had just happened.
Silas O’Brien, Luke Stevens and Sam Dooley – lifelong friends – had been on their way to Seattle to catch a plane to Hawaii around 2 a.m. when they were run off the road by a white Ford pickup.
Dooley was on the phone to a friend when he heard Stevens say the truck had returned.
“We knew it was the same truck and it was coming back toward us,” Dooley said Monday.
He yelled for the truck to stop and the three of them waved their arms, but to no avail.
“I realized it was not going to stop,” Dooley said.
Three-and-a-half years later, 23-year-old Dooley recounted the harrowing experience on the first day of the B.C. Supreme Court the trial of the man accused of killing O’Brien.
On March 13, 2008, Dooley was driving his Chevrolet Silverado down 16th Avenue in Langley when he noticed a vehicle in front of him braking. He slowed down too, figuring the truck was planning to turn or pull over.
Suddenly the truck slammed on its brakes, lifting the back wheels off the ground. Dooley quickly braked as well and drove into the oncoming lane to pass the truck.
“As I accelerated, the vehicle immediately accelerated with me in the westbound lane,” Dooley said.
The truck began to move toward Dooley’s vehicle, pushing them toward the side of the eastbound lane. Finally the Ford truck contacted Dooley’s Chevrolet, pushing it into the ditch, where it landed on its side.
Minutes later the Ford returned and swerved toward Dooley.
“I jumped out of the way,” Dooley said.
He turned and watched the truck hit O’Brien and then drive away. Dooley ran toward where his friend was hit and tried unsuccessfully to revive him. O’Brien, 21, died at the scene.
Later that morning police doing a neighbourhood canvass focused on Brent Donald Parent. As Parent and his brother left Parent’s 8th Avenue home, they were arrested.
Parent’s brother was driving a damaged white Ford F350 pickup and Parent was driving another vehicle. Parent was charged a year later.
Parent, 38 at the time of the incident, has pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving causing death, failure to stop at an accident causing bodily harm, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop at an accident with a vehicle.
O’Brien was the second-youngest of seven children, and family and friends were present in court for the start of the trial, which is scheduled to last two weeks.
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