A West Vancouver investment manager who crashed his Mercedes into an Audi Spyder after a high-speed drive down a narrow stretch of Marine Drive has been handed a nine-month conditional sentence, including three months of house arrest and a three-year driving ban.
Andrew Ian Hromyk, 50, was sentenced by Judge John Milne in North Vancouver provincial court Nov. 29 after pleading guilty to a charge of dangerous driving.
Earlier in the sentencing hearing, Crown counsel Arlene Loyst described how witnesses reported seeing Hromyk’s vehicle racing down a winding stretch of Marine Drive on the evening of Aug. 23, 2014, overtaking a number of cars on the wrong side of the road.
Court heard that soon after, the Mercedes smashed into the rear passenger side of the eastbound Audi, sending that car spinning into a nearby hedge. Two children and another passenger were in the Mercedes when it crashed.
Witness Steven Ross ran outside after hearing a loud bang near 31st Street. Ross told police the front end of the Mercedes was smashed in and that Hromyk appeared to stagger and be unable to stand up straight, said Loyst.
Court heard during the sentencing hearing that earlier in the afternoon before the crash, Hromyk had been socializing on a boat where he was handed a strong vodka-based drink.
When police arrived on the scene, Hromyk failed a roadside breath demand and was taken back to the station, where he blew Breathalyzer readings of .130 and .120 about three and a half hours after the crash, said Loyst. She pointed to alcohol consumption before the accident as an aggravating factor in the case.
Hromyk was originally charged with the more serious counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm and dangerous driving causing bodily harm but those charges were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea to the less serious offence. Loyst noted in court Hromyk’s driving record includes 24 speeding tickets and six previous 24-hour roadside suspensions.
Hromyk’s defence lawyer Mark Jetté told the judge Hromyk is of otherwise good character and has already been humiliated by publicity about his actions. Just prior to sentencing, Hromyk apologized to the court.
During the 90 days of house arrest, Hromyk is allowed out for work between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., for completion of 50 hours of community work service, and other times agreed to by authorities. For the remainder of the conditional sentence order, he is to obey a curfew between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Hromyk is also banned from drinking alcohol during the sentence, must pay a $5,000 fine and a $1,500 victim fine surcharge.
Hromyk also faces a civil suit stemming from the accident. Bassam Moubarak, driver of the Audi hit by the Mercedes, is suing Hromyk for lost wages, pain from back and neck injuries and depreciation of his vehicle caused by the accident.
