Robert Ronald Gejdos admitted to being intoxicated when he drove into the back of a vehicle along Highway 3 near Barnwell in March of 2016.
He pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing bodily harm and leaving the scene of an accident with intent to escape civil and criminal liability and without rendering assistance to an injured person.
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The original sentencing judge, Justice J.N. Legrandeur, sentenced Gejdos to 90 days in jail for the impaired charge, to be served every other weekend, and issued a conditional sentence of nine months for leaving the scene of the accident.
Gejdos admitted he was swerving through traffic at a high rate of speed when he struck the back of a vehicle, causing it to roll into the ditch.
Gejdos did not stop, but other drivers who witnessed the crash followed him.
Sparks from his own damaged rim started three separate grass fires as he continued to drive.
He finally stopped approximately 35 kilometres away from the original crash site.
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The first police officer who approached him testified to smelling alcohol and Gejdos subsequently failed a breathalyzer.
Darcy Morrison, the driver of the vehicle Gejdos hit suffered an injury to his shoulder.
In a victim impact statement, he told the judge he has nightmares about the crash and suffers anxiety attacks when he is driving.
Several people told the court Gejdos’ actions were out of character and he was extremely remorseful. He was 31-years-old at the time and shared custody of his young son.
The Crown asked for a period of incarceration for both offences of 21 months, followed by two years probation.
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The Crown appealed the judge’s ruling, stating “the significance of the victim’s injuries, the horrendous driving pattern, and the offender’s lengthy flight from the scene compelled a sterner sentence. On these facts, the intermittent sentence coupled with a conditional sentence order was disproportionately low, and did not reflect the need to denounce and deter such offences.”
The Court of Appeal agreed with the Crown, sentencing Gejdos to nine months in prison for the count of impaired driving causing bodily harm, and six months consecutive for leaving the scene of the accident, all with credit given for time served.
He was ordered to turn himself into custody by July 10.
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