A Cardston man will not spend time behind bars for a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian.
On Wednesday, a judge found 33-year-old Michael White Quills not guilty of failing to stop at the scene of a collision causing death.
However, he was found guilty of a lesser charge of hit and run to escape civil or criminal liability.
In September 2018, a man and woman were walking along Highway 5 just outside the city limits when the man, 26-year-old Gage Christian Good Rider, was struck by a truck and killed.
During victim impact statements, court heard Good Rider was a father of three and had a close relationship with his family, who to this day struggle to drive by the spot where their loved one was killed.
READ MORE: Charge laid in September hit-and-run collision that killed southern Alberta man
White Quills admitted he had consumed alcohol and didn’t realize he had struck a person. He said he thought he hit a deer.
Court also heard that White Quills was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and has been given 12 to 14 months to live. His lawyer asked that his diagnosis be taken into consideration for sentencing and the judge agreed.
He was given a conditional sentence of house arrest for one month, followed by two months of a curfew as well as a 15-month driving prohibition.
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