Nanaimo man fined $1,500 for causing collision that killed retired police sergeant
Former Abbotsford police spokesperson Shinder Kirk was killed in head-on crash in December 2018
A Nanaimo, B.C., man found guilty of careless driving in the head-on collision that killed well known police sergeant Shinder Kirk has been fined $1,500 in provincial court.
Kirk was driving with his wife and another passenger on Nanaimo's Cedar Road on Dec. 22, 2018, when a vehicle driven by Conrad Wetten crossed the centre line. Kirk died at the scene and the two injured passengers were flown to hospital.
Kirk formerly held positions as spokesperson for the Abbotsford Police Department, the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of B.C. and the Vancouver-based Integrated Gang Task Force.
Wetten, 25, was found guilty of driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act on June 23.
In delivering the sentencing decision Friday morning, Judge K. L. Whonnock noted the tragic outcome but said the incident was "a very brief moment in time" and that she "was not sentencing [Wetten] for causing Mr. Kirk's death."
Whonnock said testimony supported that Wetten was not impaired, was not distracted by a cell phone and was not speeding or driving recklessly in the moments leading up to the crash.
Wetten was not handed a driving prohibition, said Whonnock, because he depends on his driver's licence for employment and the purpose of the Motor Vehicle Act is to ensure safety, not impose punitive measures.
Widow Wendy Kirk was one of five people who provided victim impact statements.
Kirk said her life was shattered by the crash, and that the severe injuries she suffered cause her daily pain.
A civil lawsuit filed by Kirk alleges that Wetten crossed the centre line and caused the collision. She is seeking compensation for the physical injuries and psychological trauma suffered.