By Keith Lacey
A senior who hit a young girl with his vehicle while under the influence hasnÂ?t had a drink since this incident.
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Last Wednesday in court, Henry Racette, 73, pleaded guilty to impaired driving.
Court heard three young girls had a shopping cart in their possession and had pushed it over an embankment near the Whitson River bridge when one of the girls darted across the roadway.
The vehicle Racette was driving struck the young girl, and while it appeared she had suffered serious injuries at the time, she has since fully recovered, said defence counsel Donald Plaunt.
OPP officers arrived and ordered Racette to move his truck off the road and when an officer went to speak to Racette, he noticed a strong smell of alcohol on his breath.
When the officer asked Racette how much alcohol he had consumed, Racette denied having any drinks, but said heÂ?d had four or five drinks the previous day.
The officer didnÂ?t believe him and ordered Racette to blow into a roadside-screening device, which he failed.
Racette was taken to headquarters and two breathalyser tests indicated he was well over the legal limit.
Assistant Crown attorney Alex Kurke said the Crown would have had great difficulty proving beyond a reasonable doubt the cause of the collision. However, thereÂ?s no doubt Racette should not have been behind the wheel after consuming enough alcohol to blow over the legal limit.
Plaunt said his client didnÂ?t have any time to react and was driving slowly at the time.
His client hasnÂ?t had a drop of alcohol since and a one-year driving suspension will be a significant penalty as Racette lives far out of town and has to take care of his ailing wife, said Plaunt.
Kurke pointed out Racette has a previous drunk-driving conviction from 1986 and asked for a one-year driving suspension and a fine above the minimum $600.
Justice William Fitzgerald agreed to the one-year driving prohibition and fined Racette $750.
Before sentence was imposed, Racette told the court Â?IÂ?m very sorry for my actions.Â?
