Drunk driver jailed for crash that killed friend

As tragic as the death of a Calgary man at the hands of his drunkdriving friend was, it could have been much worse, a judge noted Friday.

In sentencing Gurpreet Kandola to 42 months in a federal penitentiary, provincial court Judge Catherine Skene said the offender’s driving put many lives at risk.

“It was just luck that Mr. Kandola’s crime did not result in the deaths of others,” Skene said.

She agreed with Crown prosecutor James Thomas that a 42-month sentence was warranted on a charge of criminal negligence causing death.

Kandola, 28, earlier pleaded guilty to that charge in connection

with a March 22, 2015, collision that happened after he ran a red light while speeding northbound on Macleod Trail.

A forensic toxicologist placed his blood/alcohol content at 31/2 times the legal driving limit.

Evidence showed that, seconds before the collision with a city bus at Willow Park Drive S.E., Kandola was driving his father’s Toyota Hylander at 146 km/ h in a 70 km/ h zone.

Skene noted there were other motorists who narrowly missed being involved in the crash. Fortunately, there were no passengers on the bus that Kandola hit.

Kandola was reported to Okotoks RCMP by a woman who saw him driving recklessly before he made his way north to Calgary.

He and his victim, Harkarn Saini, were seen purchasing a 750 ml bottle of cognac at an Okotoks liquor store.

Outside court, Saini’s older sister, Jasdeep, complained Kandola’s sentence was too light.

“It hurts to see how lenient the laws are ... for someone to take a life it just seems like the legal system is not doing much,” she said.