VERNON – The man charged after a serious accident that paralyzed a Vernon nurse learned his fate Thursday. Twenty-two-year-old Michael Heeley was handed a three year sentence and a ten year driving prohibition after earlier pleading guilty to criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
“I think that is honestly kind of comical. My wife was just imposed a lifetime of imprisonment and she is in prison now. I think there is no justice. He gets three years and a ten year driving prohibition. I don’t see much justice there,” says Dave Orcherton whose wife, Robin Orcherton, was injured in the accident.
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Robin was a nurse who enjoyed skiing, hiking and travel before the car crash on Dec. 3, 2014, which left her paralyzed. Dave describes the impact on their family as profound.
“It has uprooted all of us. we have to move, our house isn’t adequate,” he says.
It was around 5:30 p.m. on a dark winter evening in the midst of a busy commute when Robin’s vehicle was hit by a Jeep in the intersection of Alexis Park Drive and 39th Ave.
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The other driver fled the scene and the court heard that Heeley reported his vehicle stolen later that night, in an attempt to avoid blame. However, he was charged in February of this year, and in handing down his sentence the judge said there was a pattern of reckless driving that proceeded the crash, adding that Heeley was on probation at the time.
The judge also noted that Heeley expressed regret through his lawyer and entered a guilty plea. Crown counsel called the guilty plea valuable saying that the evidence identifying Heeley as the driver would have been open to attack at trial.
In a victim impact statement, her sister read Robin’s words in court Thursday. “I struggle to breathe and cannot cough without assistance,” she said describing her life now, reliant on others for care. “My whole family has been devastated by this accident.
Robin says the accident has also robbed her of the ability to use sign language to communicate with her oldest daughter, who is hard of hearing.
With credit for time served, Heeley is facing a sentence of over two years and seven months.
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