Article content continued

According to an agreed statement of facts, Lalonde’s truck ramped into the air, hit a telephone pole and flipped onto its roof, sliding into the intersection. When police arrived, they noticed he was stumbling around, slurring his words and smelled like alcohol.

Pilon said although Lalonde’s alcohol consumption was an agreed fact, there were issues with the obtaining of blood samples. As a result, his initial 11-count indictment, which contained charges of impaired driving and driving with a blood-alcohol content over .08 causing bodily harm, was withdrawn and replaced with a single charge of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

Pilon argued for a one-year jail sentence followed by some sort of driving ban. He said the high rate of speed and injuries are aggravating factors.

Lalonde had prior tickets for stunting, speeding and driving without due care and attention as well as another at-fault rear-end collision in 2015, according to an SGI driver’s abstract listed in court. He also took the Driving While Impaired program three times and “apparently learned nothing,” Pilon said.

There is no evidence that Lalonde was driving for a prolonged period of time and none of the victims were significantly injured, Piche noted when arguing for a 90-day intermittent jail sentence followed by three years of probation.

He said the sentence should not include a driving ban, as Lalonde hasn’t had a licence since his arrest yet continues to work for an employer who describes him as “reliable and hardworking.” Piche called Lalonde a “salt of the earth person” who found himself in a difficult situation.

Court heard he is also paying off $30,000 for the four vehicles that were damaged in the crash.

A written decision is expected in June.

bmcadam@postmedia.com

twitter.com/breezybremc