BY KEITH LACEY
A man who plowed into the back of a tractor-trailer while drunk was given a hefty fine and had his driver?s licence suspended for two years Wednesday.
Court heard Daniel Wemigwans, 30, was behind the wheel of a truck that caused an accident by hitting the 18-wheeler from behind on Highway 17 the evening of Jan. 19, 2002.
When police arrived on the scene, they found three males severely intoxicated, including Wemigwans behind the wheel.
Two breathalyser tests indicated Wemigwans had about .280 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system following the accident.
Defence counsel Louis Sola said Wemigwans decided to drive because the two male passengers riding with him were even more intoxicated than he was.
His client has a previous drunk driving conviction from 1995, said Sola.
Wemigwans works where employment is available, does volunteer work when employment is hard to find and has no other criminal record, said Sola.
Because the first drunk driving offence took place more than seven years ago, the Crown and defence agreed in a joint submission of a $1,500 fine and two-year driving prohibition would be appropriate.
Justice Gerald Michel accepted the joint submission, but warned Wemigwans he won?t be so lucky if he decided to get drunk and drive again in the future.
It?s only through good fortune that no one was more seriously hurt as the accused was obviously severely intoxicated, said Michel.
?The three of you could have been crunched,? he said.
