A North Vancouver man who crashed his car into a parked van after consuming alcohol, injuring a woman who was sleeping inside, has received a suspended sentence and three years’ probation after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
Cameron Patrick Underhill, 27, was also handed a two-year driving ban by Judge Joanne Challenger in North Vancouver provincial court Dec. 13.
Two other charges of impaired driving causing bodily harm and causing an accident resulting in bodily harm were dropped by the Crown.
The crash happened in the early morning hours of June 10, 2017 in the 1500 block of Riverside Drive, when a car driven by Underhill swerved to the outside curb, hitting a parked Ford camper van and causing damage to the rear driver’s side. A 63-year-old woman who had been sleeping inside the van was taken to hospital with significant back and neck injuries.
Police who were called out to the accident scene described Underhill as having a “stench” of liquor and exhibiting “significant signs of intoxication,” Challenger noted.
Two witnesses told police they first came upon Underhill in his own parked car before the accident, said Crown counsel Linda Ostry. He appeared to be either unconscious or sleeping with the brake lights on, she said.
The two men knocked on the window but Underhill “gave them the middle finger,” said Ostry. “He obviously didn’t want them there.”
The next time the two men saw Underhill, he was speeding past them in his car, swerving down the road, said Ostry.
Police observed while at the accident scene, Underhill “looked like he could pass out any minute,” said Ostry, at one point asking officers, “Why is my car like that?”
He told police the last thing he remembered was being downtown.
The woman who was injured in the crash required surgery for her injuries and had to wear a neck brace around the clock for six weeks, said Ostry. The injuries also impacted blood flow to her spinal cord, subsequently resulting in a mini stroke.
The prosecutor asked for a three- to five-month jail term.
Defence lawyer Claire Hatcher described the events as out of character for Underhill, a college student who is the son of a retired police officer and who volunteers with the anti-drug group Odd Squad.
Hatcher said Underhill was dropped off at his home in a taxi that night and he doesn’t know why he was in his vehicle or why he decided to drive.
She asked the judge to suspend the sentence saying Underhill is remorseful and understands “It could have been much worse.”
Underhill also addressed the judge, telling her, “I’m very sorry. I learned a lot about myself and how I want to go forward in this world.”
As part of his sentence, Underhill must not consume drugs or alcohol while on probation. He must also do 150 hours of community work service, preferably for an organization like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said Challenger.
“One of the things you can do is to share your experience with other young people” that “going out and drinking excessively is a bad idea,” the judge said. “It leads to nothing but bad things.”
