Lots of emotion after hit-and-run sentence

Emotions rose to the surface Friday in Vernon Supreme Court as the mother of a woman killed in a hit-and-run more than two years ago read a victim impact statement and the man convicted for the crime was sentenced.
In April 2010, Kiera-Leigh Carlson, 22, was killed when she was struck by a car while walking along a road near Vernon.
Chase Donaldson, 29, was driving the car that hit her. On Tuesday, he was convicted of dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the accident and on Friday, he was sentenced to just over two and a half years in prison.
Kiera-Leigh’s mother, Bev Carlson, says no punishment could properly address her heartache.
“He could spend the rest of his life in jail. It’s not going to bring Kiera-Leigh back,” Bev said.
As she read her victim impact statement, Bev described life since her youngest daughter died, including what she called the longest, coldest and most tormenting six hours of her own life as she looked frantically in vain for Kiera-Leigh.
Donaldson wept throughout the remarks before standing to deliver a tearful apology to Kiera-Leigh’s parents.
The father of two and husband to a pregnant wife said he has cried every day since the fatal accident.
He told Kiera-Leigh’s parents that as a father himself, he could never comprehend what they are going through. Donaldson added that he couldn’t think of anything worse for a parent.
Donaldson concluded by saying that he knew the Carlson’s would never forgive him but he wanted them to know that he would never forget or forgive himself for what happened to Kiera-Leigh.
His words rang partly hollow to her parents.
“I found a couple times where he said, ‘what happened to Kiera, what happened to Kiera’. He still has not accepted the fact that it’s what he did to Kiera,” said Len Carlson, Kiera-Leigh’s father.
“Chase is a decent man. He’s going to have to live with the fact that he caused the death of this beautiful young lady,” said Paul Danyliu, Donaldson’s lawyer.
“For as long as I live, I’ll never have my baby girl,” said Bev. “I won’t be able to hug her, except for in pictures.”
Donaldson was also given a three year driving ban. The Vernon resident will be eligible for parole in just under one year.