A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after he struck a UVic student with his vehicle in 2019, leaving her in critical condition.
On Tuesday morning, Drake Reynes pleaded guilty to one count of impaired driving causing bodily harm and one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. Both offences carry a two-and-a-half year sentence, which will be served concurrently.
UVic student Aisha Strange, 20, was on her way to work on her moped when she was struck by Reynes at the corner of McKenzie Avenue and Shelbourne Street on July 15, 2019. Reynes, who was driving a minivan, was impaired at the time of the collision and he abandoned his vehicle, attempting to flee on foot but was arrested a short time later.
Police said he was travelling at approximately 110 km/h when he collided with Strange.
As a result of the collision, strange suffered multiple broken bones and a traumatic brain injury. She was also placed into a medically induced coma one day following the crash.
Strange’s family, who lived in Calgary at the time of the collision, dropped everything to move their lives to Victoria and be with her.
In a statement to the media on Tuesday, Strange’s family said they have been “traumatized” at the events that have unfolded in regards to their daughter and are working towards moving on.
“The offender has taken responsibility for his crimes and he will be punished. But, whatever the outcome of these proceedings, it makes no difference to Aisha. There is only a little bit of closure to be found here,” reads the statement.
“In the end, we will work towards finding peace with what happened to Aisha and to our lives and we will direct all of our energy towards that goal.”
The family added that, “there is no room for negative energy and dwelling on what happened.”
Strange is now being cared for by her parents in Calgary.
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