‘ Arrogant’ driver convicted of fatal 2008 hit- and- run
Brent Parent’s story ‘ inconsistent with common sense,’ judge says
A judge rejected a driver’s version of events and convicted him of being involved in a fatal hit- and- run accident.
B. C. Supreme Court Justice Terence Schultes, in an oral ruling Thursday in New Westminster, convicted Brent Parent of criminal negligence causing death by swerving at three young men standing at the side of a Langley road, killing one of them.
The judge found the accused’s version of events was “inconsistent with common sense” and a “clumsy” attempt to explain his actions.
As three young men headed to the Seattle airport for a vacation in Hawaii, Parent ran their vehicle off the road after 2 a. m. on March 13, 2008.
The men got out of their overturned vehicle and were standing at the side of the road when Parent, 42, drove back and swerved at them, hitting Silas O’brien, 21, who died at the scene.
Parent was also convicted of dangerous driving and failing to remain.
O’brien’s parents, Michelle and Roger O’brien, said they were relieved by the verdict.
“We’re very pleased with the judgment, the verdict,” the father told reporters outside court.
Parent will continue on bail until his sentencing hearing on April 27. The judge ordered him to remain in B. C. and surrender his passport.
Parent faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for criminal negligence causing death, with no parole for at least seven years.
The Crown has not revealed what sentence it will seek, but it is expected to be federal prison time, which is two years or more.
During final arguments, prosecutor Donna Ballyk said Parent’s actions were foolish and childish. “He swerved at them to give them a good scare.”
Parent testified he didn’t know he had hit anyone so didn’t stop.
“He knew what he had done,” Ballyk said. “The Crown says his failure to stop is consistent with his evading responsibility.”
She told the court that Parent repeatedly lied during his testimony. One of O’brien’s two friends, Luke Stephen, testified he had to jump in a ditch because Parent’s large Ford F- 350 truck swerved onto the shoulder of
Silas O’brien was like a deer in the headlights.
DONNA BALLYK
PROSECUTOR
the dark road. The other friend, Sam Dooley, testified he jumped off the road and the truck just missed his head.
“Silas O’brien was like a deer in the headlights,” Ballyk said, noting the force of the impact knocked him more than nine metres.
O’brien was a passenger in a Silverado truck driven by Dooley, who testified he came up behind a large Ford F- 350 truck that was going slowly. The Ford had a sled deck on the back, used for transporting snowmobiles, which extended about 20 cm on each side of the truck.
Dooley flashed his high- beam lights to get the truck to speed up. Instead, Parent slammed on his brakes and stopped abruptly, forcing Dooley to do the same.
Dooley believed the other driver was trying to aggravate him, so he tried to pass the Ford, which sped up and wouldn’t allow him to pass at 80 km/ h.
The judge found Parent intentionally moved left, making contact with the Silverado three times and forcing it into the ditch.
“His aggressive actions were intended to bully Sam Dooley to get behind him,” Ballyk said, calling Parent’s driving attitude “arrogant.”
The three young men climbed out of the vehicle and noticed minutes later that the Ford was coming toward them.
Parent, a Langley resident, testified he didn’t see O’brien because at the last minute his attention was drawn to his two friends, who appeared agitated and ready to attack his truck.
Parent recalled one of the men on the road had something in his hand — Parent thought it was a rock — and he took his eyes off the road for a second before hearing a bang.
Parent said he thought one of the men threw something at his truck, so he didn’t stop because he didn’t want a confrontation.
Parent, a large man who works as a heavy- duty mechanic, said he only had a small amount of alcohol to drink earlier in the evening while at a social event with his brother- in- law, who was in the Ford with him and had a fair amount to drink. After the fatal accident, the two men went home and had more drinks while sitting in a hot tub.