A woman has been sentenced to a year of house arrest after her ‘reckless’ driving caused a head-on collision on Highway 97A in Enderby in 2020.
According to a recent verdict by British Columbia Provincial Court Judge Jeremy Guild, Fardowsa MacLeod was charged with dangerous driving resulting in bodily harm following the hit-and-run that occurred just before 7 a.m. on May 24, 2020. After a trial, Guild found her guilty and sentenced her to prison. one year suspended prison sentence. She is under house arrest for the first six months, then has a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. for the remainder of the sentence.
MacLeod drove a black SUV and drove more than a mile above the speed limit, mostly in the wrong lane. She drove through oncoming traffic at a speed of at least 100 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.
Guild said MacLeod narrowly missed one vehicle before hitting another head-on. He noted that the wheels of MacLeod’s vehicle were so high above the centerline that they were almost over the opposite shoulder.
“It was no coincidence. Driving this way was intentional,” Guild said in her verdict. “Despite this near miss, she swerved into the oncoming lane immediately afterwards, maintaining her speed.”
The collision resulted in serious injury to the other driver, who suffered amnesia from a concussion, back injury, and several soft tissue injuries. The driver still suffers from chronic back pain and has been suffering from severe anxiety and depression for several months. She missed a month of work and lost a promotion because she couldn’t lift and suffered financial hardship from losing her vehicle.
MacLeod also suffered injuries in the accident, breaking his collarbone and both ankles.
Through her attorney, MacLeod said at a court hearing that she was upset at the time of the accident because her mother had recently been diagnosed with cancer. She also said she was distracted by her dog loose in the vehicle and running into a box of chocolates.
The judge rejected that excuse, saying if her dog was distracting her, she should have stopped.
Guild said MacLeod’s reckless driving showed “blind disregard for everyone else on or near the road. At these speeds in a rural community, there was significant risk to people and property.
In addition to the house arrest, MacLeod must pay a mandatory $1,000 fine and a $300 fine surcharge. She is also banned from driving for a year.
Brendan Shykora
CourtRidingVernon
