SASKATOON – A Saskatchewan man who admitted to driving drunk after a cancer diagnosis has been jailed for 18 months for three separate accidents, including one that resulted in serious injuries. Ronald Donald Gamble, 42, pleaded guilty to two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm following a rollover near Duck Lake in April.
Court was told Gamble was heavily intoxicated when his sport utility vehicle crashed into an embankment, injuring two of his relatives, including one who suffered a fractured skull and jaw.
In a statement to police, Gamble said he learned before the accident that he had kidney cancer, and that he had been drinking the night before and the day of the crash.
He said he was taking his relatives home because he thought they were too drunk to drive.
Gamble was involved in two other accidents, including one in which he crashed into a tree in the community of Rosthern.
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Crown prosecutor John Knox told the court that Gamble has never had a driver’s licence, and that there’s concern he will eventually kill himself or someone else.
Defence lawyer Jane Basinski said alcohol has been a constant in Gamble’s life. She said her client is a residential school survivor who started to unravel after participating in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission because he couldn’t cope with the painful memories it unearthed.
The judge accepted the joint-submission presented by Crown and defence, sentencing Gamble to 18 months in jail followed by 18 months probation with conditions that include no alcohol or bars. He is also banned from driving for five years.
The judge warned Gamble that continuing to drink is a death sentence for someone with kidney cancer.
“I’m just so happy that no one died in that accident,” Gamble said, crying. “For me it stops right here. I need help.”
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