Robert Major released from prison while appealing conviction on fatal 2016 Sask. highway crash
Girlfriend and two sons killed in crash near Langham
A man convicted earlier this year of killing three people in a highway collision — including two of his sons — is getting out of prison while his case is appealed.
A jury convicted Robert Major in January of dangerous driving causing death.
He was sentenced to seven years, but later appealed that.
On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal agreed to release Major until the appeal is heard.
"Taking into account the seriousness of Mr. Major's offences, the strength of his appeal and the conditions that can be imposed to address the issue of public safety, I do not believe it is in public interest to detain Mr. Major pending his appeal," said the written judgment.
Major was speeding down a grid road early on a February morning in 2016 while using his cellphone when the truck he was driving — carrying six passengers who weren't wearing seatbelts — crashed into a semi-trailer at the intersection of Highway 16 and Grid Road 3083.
The crash propelled the semi more than 80 metres into a ditch. The battered front of Major's truck was embedded into the semi's first trailer.
Two of Major's sons — Brendan, 4, and Theo, 9 — and Kimberly Oliverio, his girlfriend, were killed in the crash. Major's nephew, who was also a passenger, had both his legs broken. An employee of Major's who was in the truck, Scott Eckel, suffered brain damage.
Major's lawyer, Brian Pfefferle, says Major is looking forward to going home for Christmas. He lives on an acreage near Langham.
"Rob is relieved to be home for Christmas with his surviving son," Pfefferle said.
"He is grateful for the opportunity to argue the grounds for his appeal while in the community on conditions."
These conditions include posting $5,000 cash and not driving for any purpose.