Blood test leads to jail time

P.E.I. man was sentenced in provincial court in Georgetown after his blood alcohol levels showed he was 1.5 times over the legal limit

A 72-year-old man who lost consciousness before he crashed his vehicle has been sentenced to seven days in jail for impaired driving.

Gerald Martin Cole appeared before Chief Judge Nancy Orr in provincial court in Georgetown, Jan. 18.

Cole was driving along the Bear River Road on Aug. 14 when he suddenly lost consciousness.

Souris RCMP responded to the 911 call of the single vehicle accident. When they arrived, paramedics were already on the scene and were attending to Cole.

The police officer detected an odour of alcohol, but there were concerns that Cole may have suffered a stroke, so he was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

RCMP obtained a search warrant to test the blood samples taken by hospital staff.

The test results showed that Cole was 1.5 times over the legal limit at the time of the accident.

Although Cole did not have a stroke, physicians were unable to rule out if another event had taken place.

Cole does have a history of seizures and staring episodes.

As a precaution, he was prescribed anti-convulsion medications.

Orr said whether it was the alcohol or medical condition that caused or contributed to the accident, the fact that his blood alcohol level was in excess of 80 milligrams was an aggravating factor.

Cole had no previous record. In addition to incarceration, Cole must pay $1,000 fine, $300 to the victims of crime fund and is prohibited from driving for one year.