A young Victoria man who was drunk, high and speeding when he catastrophically injured a 20-year-old student in July 2019 was led away in handcuffs Tuesday to begin serving a prison sentence of 2 1/2 years.
Drake Reynes, 26, pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing bodily harm and dangerous driving causing bodily harm to Aisha Strange, a third-year University of Victoria student, and to Luigi Porco on July 15, 2019.
Victoria provincial court Judge Sue Wishart accepted a joint submission from Crown and defence, saying she was satisfied that the 21/2 year sentence was appropriate. She ordered Reynes to pay a $2,000 fine by Dec. 31, 2023, and imposed a three-year driving prohibition following his release from custody.
In submissions Monday, court heard that Reynes and some friends were drinking at a home on Teakwood Road and later at the Sticky Wicket in downtown Victoria. Reynes also consumed a quarter gram of cocaine. The group took a cab back to the Teakwood residence and continued drinking.
Around dawn, Reynes decided to drive home to pick up his laptop. On his way back to Teakwood, he was seen speeding and passing cars erratically.
At Shelbourne and McKenzie, Reynes tried to turn right, but missed the turn because of his high rate of speed. He struck Strange, who was stopped at the light on her scooter. He also struck Porco, who was in the next lane over.
Reynes drove up on the sidewalk, then sped down McKenzie. He turned left onto Larchwood Road, slammed into a telephone pole, then ran to his friends’ home. He told them that he thought he had killed someone and called 911.
A breath sample taken an hour after the collision showed a blood alcohol level of 0.14. Later that day, Reynes gave a statement to police, admitting he had been drinking and was driving too fast.
Porco was bruised and cut and has a scar on his face, court heard. He had a concussion and has ongoing anxiety, depression, nightmares and flashbacks.
When Reynes struck Strange, she was thrown into the air and landed some distance away. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, a fractured pelvis and fractured tibia.
Sixteen months later, she spends her days either in a bed or in a wheelchair unable to care for herself. She was in hospital for 10 months, first in Victoria, then Calgary. She now is cared for round the clock, mostly by her parents, and most of her nutrition comes from a feeding tube.
“In a matter of seconds on July 15, 2019, a number of lives were shattered and forever changed,” said Wishart, who listened to six victim impact statements and read 12 more from family and friends.
She heard Strange’s parents, Kevin and Cathy Strange, describe the horror of learning that Aisha had been hit by a car and the extent of her injuries. “They described the ongoing heartbreak and sadness of watching their daughter go from a university student with a bright future to being hospitalized, unresponsive and in pain.”
It was important to hear what Strange’s day-to-day life is like, Wishart said. “It’s important to understand she is not sleeping in a bed at peace. She continues to suffer daily with ongoing medical crises that her family has to witness.”
Strange’s sister Nicole talked about the sadness that now surrounds the family. “She struggles to enjoy any of her own accomplishments while knowing that her sister, her best friend, will never be able to realize her dreams,” Wishart said.
Hamish Murray, Strange’s boyfriend, was the last person to see her that morning, the judge said, in a review of testimony. “He feels a deep sense of loss for what his life with Aisha was supposed to be, along with feelings of guilt for not taking longer to say goodbye to her that morning so she wouldn’t have been at that spot when Mr. Reynes drove into the intersection.”
Reynes, who will turn 27 next week, has no criminal record and one speeding ticket in 2014, Wishart noted.
His father was killed in a head-on collision when Reynes was eight. Afterward, his mother struggled with substance addiction and he lived with godparents and foster parents. He has essentially been living on his own since 15, and has struggled with substance use since his mid-teens, though he didn’t appreciate the depths of his addiction until the collision, Wishart said.
Reynes graduated from high school and has supported himself. He has not been able to stop drinking, but acknowledges this is something he needs to deal with. “He has never wavered from taking responsibility and expressed his intention to plead guilty from the outset,” the judge said.
Reynes became emotional listening to the victim impact statements and seeing Aisha on the video screen, Wishart noted. He apologized not just to the court but directly to the Strange family.
In a statement issued to the media, the Strange family thanked the police, first responders and bystanders who helped Aisha. They were touched and comforted by the reaction in the community. “We believe Canadians from coast to coast should feel and express their outrage at the destruction that drunk drivers do. Indeed, there is not enough outrage in our view.”
The family did not comment on the court proceedings, other than to say Reynes accepted responsibility and will be punished.
“But whatever the outcome of these proceedings, it makes no difference to Aisha. There is only a little bit of closure to be found here. In the end we will work towards finding peace with what happened to Aisha and to our lives and we will direct all of our energy to that goal.”
The family said they hope Reynes will find peace and begin a new, more positive chapter in his life.
