Driving home a key message
In sentencing Joshua Steele-young to jail for causing woman to become quadriplegic, judge stresses drivers’ responsibility
When Joshua Steele-young tore off down a busy, slippery highway on a snowy winter day 2 1/2 years ago, he had no idea his ex-girlfriend would end up as a quadriplegic.
But he should have, a St. John’s judge said Friday.
In handing the 24-year-old a two-year jail term, Justice Frances Knickle said he ought to have foreseen what could happen, and should have been aware of his responsibility as a driver.
“To make the decision to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle is not a decision without implications or obligations,” Knickle said in sentencing Steele-young at Newfoundland Supreme Court in St. John’s.
“It is a decision that includes a commitment to your passengers, other drivers, indeed your community, that you will operate this fantastically powerful machine with care. Too often, the attitude toward this powerful machine — as occurred in this case, and so many others — has resulted in tragedy.”
Steele-young was convicted in July of dangerous driving causing bodily harm for the March 20, 2017, crash that left Morgan Pardy paralyzed.
The court heard during Steele-young’s trial that Pardy had ended a five-month relationship with him days before the car crash, but had agreed to go for a drive with him to talk. The pair argued and when Steele-young grew angry, Pardy undid her seatbelt and demanded that he let her out of the car on Pitts Memorial Drive, in the snow.
He didn’t stop the car, which was travelling 130 km/h in a 100 km/h zone with slippery conditions, and eventually lost control of the vehicle. Witnesses saw it spin off the highway before flipping a number of times, with Pardy thrown from the car high into the air.
It left Pardy bound to a wheelchair.
Pardy, also 24, sat in the courtroom throughout the trial, often wiping away tears.
When she got to speak during the sentencing hearing last week, in her victim impact statement, Pardy said, “Here we are 2 ½ years later and I’m still a quadriplegic by definition. (I’m) still in a wheelchair, still can’t walk, still can’t hold a fork or spoon like before and still very dependent on home-care workers and my parents to basically do everything for me.
“My pride, my dignity, my morale, my self-esteem and the confident person I was before, all this is gone. Dead. Non-existent.
“I’m jealous of every person who gets to slow dance at a party … of people who can feel the grass between their toes.”
When Steele-young took the stand, he admitted they had been arguing and that he had been driving 130 km/h in a 100 km/h zone with slippery conditions. He agreed that if he could go back, he would do things differently.
He said he hadn’t seen Pardy remove her seatbelt and hadn’t heard the warning beep over the car’s loud music. He said he lost control of the car when Pardy pushed his right elbow.
But Knickle didn’t believe Steele-young’s version of events. She said he failed to see the seriousness of his crime.
“He has expressed his regret for what has happened to Morgan Pardy, although he does not yet seem to grasp the significance of his conduct as criminal,” the judge said.
“His level of moral blameworthiness in driving as he did is high, and the harm suffered by Morgan Pardy as a result is severe.
“Mr. Steele-young showed little insight into the dangerousness of his conduct.”
In sentencing, Knickle decided on a prison term that was between what lawyers had recommended. Prosecutor Jennifer Lundrigan had argued for 3 1/2 years in jail for Steele-young, stressing the impact on Pardy’s life. Defence lawyer Randy Piercey had argued for a jail sentence of between four and six months, reminding the judge it was Pardy’s decision to remove her seatbelt.
Knickle — who called Pardy’s words, “heartbreaking," “compelling” and courageous — stressed the importance of giving a just sentence.
“There is no place for vengeance in sentencing,” she said, noting the importance of rehabilitation.
“No one will argue with Morgan Pardy that she ‘wants her life back’ or that her life has been changed forever. Nor is there reason to doubt the veracity of Mr. Steele-young’s expression of regret.
“I accept that Mr. Steeleyoung never intended Morgan Pardy to suffer this type of permanent harm. Unfortunately, no sentence can undo Mr. Steele-young’s actions or restore Morgan Pardy to the same prior to the accident.”
Nonetheless, Knickle said, Steele-young failed to consider that what he was doing was dangerous — not only for Pardy, but for members of the public. She said he lacked insight about the significant responsibility that comes with driving.
The sentence included two years’ probation, with conditions that he have no contact with Pardy or her family. Steeleyoung is also banned from contacting her while he is incarcerated.
The judge also prohibited Steele-young from driving for five years. Since the ban has been in place since the crash 26 months ago, he has 34 months remaining.