A Calgary man has been fined $1,000 after pleading guilty to a cycling collision that left a senior dead in the summer of 2018.
On July 16, 2018, at the intersection of Richmond Road and Crowchild Trail S.W., Paul Joseph MacNeil ran a red light while riding his bike and struck a 75-year-old man who was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk.
The man was rushed to hospital where he died days later.
MacNeil was charged in January 2019 with failing to stop at a traffic light.
According to his defence lawyer, Cory Wilson, MacNeil pleaded guilty on Monday — which was originally supposed to be the start of a three-day trial — under the Traffic Safety Act violation as part of a joint submission from the defence and the Crown.
Along with the $1,000 fine, his client was also charged a $150 victims fund surcharge.
Wilson said the collision was a tragedy, adding that in issuing the fine, the judge wasn’t trying to “make the family whole.” He also said it was stressed in court that no amount of money would bring the family’s loved one back.
Wilson said he made submissions on behalf of his client in court, including an apology to the family where MacNeil expressed he’s remorseful and takes full responsibility for the collision.
Wilson said the years since the crash have been “incredibly difficult” for MacNeil, adding it’s “something that’s going to be with him for the rest of his life.”
The wife and son of the man who was killed declined to give victim impact statements, Wilson said.