Guilty plea 4 years after hit and run

On a dark, snowy morning in the dead of winter, Kevin Dewayne Gysler hit a 69-year-old woman who was walking to work near Broadway Avenue and Third Street.

Gysler, who was 22 years old at the time, did not stop, likely because he was late for work and wasn’t sure what had happened, defence lawyer Kevin Hill said during his client’s sentencing at Saskatoon provincial court.

The Feb. 3, 2012, collision left the woman with “significant” injuries that required multiple surgeries, including a broken pelvis and ribs, court heard.

There was evidence that Gysler’s truck was involved, but no witnesses could put him behind the wheel.

On Tuesday, Gysler pleaded guilty to failing to stop at the scene of an accident where a person has been injured. Judge Morris Baniak accepted a joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence, imposing a $5,000 fine and 18-month driving ban.

Crown prosecutor Gary Parker said without the guilty plea, the likelihood of conviction would have been low, despite a thorough investigation. There was evidence that Gysler’s truck was involved, but no witnesses could put him behind the wheel, Parker told court.

Parker said the woman did not see the vehicle that hit her, and Gysler exercised his right to remain silent throughout the police investigation. In a quest for information, the Crown suggested several investigative techniques, even placing an undercover officer in cells with Gysler when he was being held on the charge of failing to remain at the scene.

Police spent years gathering circumstantial evidence before Gysler was charged in 2015, court heard.

Hill said his client’s guilty plea is an expression of his remorse and a desire to bring closure to an incident that happened more than four years ago, adding the delay was because Gysler was listening to his advice to keep silent when speaking with police.

Gysler wanted to plead guilty, despite knowing he would likely win a trial, Hill said.

Although Gysler made an “immature choice” to leave, remaining at the scene would not have changed the woman’s injuries, Hill noted. The judge replied that sometimes drivers who stop can help an injured person.