Here is a copy of the Victim Impact Statement that I wrote. I had Julie Snowdon, the Crown Prosecutor, read it out in court today as I was unable to do so.
My name is Christopher Thompson, and I married Ailish O’Connor on July 31, 2010. She died 263 days later.
Ailish was an amazing woman, my best friend and my one true love. She was filled with energy and enthusiasm, and she surrounded herself with love. She tackled life with dedication, drive, and determination. Ailish made this place better and the people she met were enriched for having known her.
Her death has destroyed my world. From early in our relationship, Ailish and I went on dates every Friday evening; now I just go to bed and hope for sleep. I cry all the time. I cannot focus on my work. I feel confused and utterly alone. My world is ashen and grey without her.
I will never again be able to say that everything is right with the universe. I loved Ailish O’Connor, and I miss her with every ounce of my being. Every day was better with Ailish in my life, and every day is worse since she left.
This news article was posted to the online edition of the Edmonton Sun on June 11, 2012. You can read it there by following this link. I am republishing it here in case the Edmonton Sun subsequently removes the content. I believe doing so constitutes fair use as this entire blog is dedicated to commentary on the event described in the article.
An Edmonton Transit bus driver who fatally struck a woman who was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk owned up to the “devastating” collision in court Monday.
Bruce Charles Perrin, 53, pleaded guilty in Provincial Court to a charge under the Traffic Safety Act of failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
Both the Crown and defence agreed that while the death was a “devastating” tragedy, it was unintentional on the part of Perrin, but that was little comfort to victim Ailish O’Connor’s crying sister and heartbroken husband.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, Chris Thompson said the death “destroyed” his world and he misses O’Connor with “every ounce” of his being.
“Ailish was an amazing woman, my best friend and my one true love,” wrote Thompson. “I cry all the time. I cannot focus on my work. I feel confused and utterly alone.
“My world is ashen and grey without her,” he said. “I will never again be able to say that everything is right with the universe. Every day was better with Ailish in my life and every day is worse since she left.”
According to agreed facts, Perrin was operating an ETS bus in the downtown area about 6:45 a.m. on April 20, 2011. He was going westbound in the left lane on 102A Avenue when he came to a stop at a red light at 97 Street.
O’Connor, 28, was on her way to work and was standing on the southeast corner of the intersection waiting for the light to turn green. When it did and the walk light illuminated, O’Connor began walking west across 97 Street.
At the same time, Perrin accelerated from the stop line to turn left and began going south on 97 Street. As O’Connor was about halfway across the street, the bus struck her.
The victim was removed from the underside of the bus by firefighters and taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 7:21 a.m.
Four passengers on the bus who witnessed the deadly collision said they all observed O’Connor crossing the street before she was hit.
Perrin told police at the scene he had taken his prescribed Oxycontin pain medication earlier that morning. A field sobriety test was performed and officers did not form the belief that his ability to drive was impaired.
Crown prosecutor Julie Snowdon asked for Perrin to be handed the maximum $2,000 fine and a 90-day driving ban, saying the public needs to know that “even a moment of inattention can lead to devastating consequences.”
Defence lawyer Barinder Pannu told court Perrin had been driving a city bus for 30 years without an incident and suggested a $1,500 fine with no driving ban.
Pannu said Perrin was “so paralyzed” by what happened that he does not recall the exact details. He also said the veteran driver claims he got a glaring effect through his eyeglasses from the sunrise being reflected in a building.
Since the collision, Perrin went through a serious depression, had problems sleeping and was unable to work. He was also feeling suicidal and seeing a psychologist.
“He said to me ‘I wish I were dead rather than the person who died’,” said Pannu.
Perrin apologized in court to the victim’s family.
This news article was posted to the online edition of the Edmonton Journal on June 11, 2012. You can read it there by following this link. I am republishing it here in case the Edmonton Journal subsequently removes the content. I believe doing so constitutes fair use as this entire blog is dedicated to commentary on the event described in the article.
Bus driver ‘totally devastated’ over pedestrian’s death, court told
BY BRENT WITTMEIER, EDMONTONJOURNAL.COM JUNE 11, 2012 3:02 PM
EDMONTON – A bus driver who struck and killed a 28-year-old city worker in April 2010 pleaded guilty Monday to failure to yield.
Bruce Perrin, 52, occasionally sobbed as court heard arguments about factors in the accident and sentencing possibilities under the Traffic Safety Act violation.
Barinder Pannu, Perrin’s lawyer, talked about glare coming from buildings, and his client’s otherwise clean driving record, when arguing for a $1,000 fine and waiving of a discriminatory three-month licence suspension.
“Nobody minimizes the tragedy,” Pannu said. “This is purely accidental.”
Crown counsel Julie Snowdon said that “anything less than the maximum prohibition and maximum fine is simply not enough.”
On April 20, 2011, the 15-year bus driver was driving the Route 1 bus just before 6:50 a.m. when he turned left from 102A Avenue into the southbound lane of 97th Street, a marked intersection just south of the Edmonton Law Courts building. He hit Ailish O’Connor, who was on her way to work as the city’s strategic planning director in the office of the chief financial officer.
Fire crews had to free her from under the bus. O’Connor was transferred to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where she was declared dead.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Perrin had taken a prescribed dose of OxyContin that morning as a pain medication, but police did not believe the medication impaired his driving ability.
Perrin is no longer a bus driver and has battled depression, insomnia, and nightmares. He told Pannu he wishes he had died rather than O’Connor. He turned down offers to drive school buses.
“He is so paralyzed by this experience, he doesn’t remember what happened,” Pannu said. “He is basically totally devastated. He is mentally totally shattered.”