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Brittany Barry, a 32-year-old from the RM of Blucher, was handed a six-year sentence on Friday after a highway car crash killed two women from Lake Isle, Alberta, last October.
On Friday, a Saskatoon provincial courtroom was filled with family and friends mourning 50-year old Laura Hannah and her daughter 20-year old Jamie Hannah, who died in the crash.
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Barry originally offered guilty pleas to charges of dangerous driving causing death, and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
That changed on Friday when Barry voluntarily pleaded guilty to charges of operation of a vehicle with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 80 mg or over causing death, and operation of a vehicle with a BAC of 80 mg or over causing bodily harm.
The sentence handed down by Judge Bruce Bauer came from a joint submission from the Crown and defence. Barry is also prohibited from driving seven years after her release.
“Communities lose far too many lives from those that drink and drive,” Bauer said during his decision.
Barry nodded to her husband, who sat beside her during sentencing, as she was led out of the room in handcuffs.
‘An unspeakable loss’
Eighteen victim impact statements were read in court describing Laura as “the most beautiful person,” who was a compassionate, empathetic and loyal friend.
Others said Jamie had a bright future, with a smile that could “brighten up a dark room.”
“They were my entire life,” Reanne Hannah said about her sister and mother.
Hannah said her mother and sister won’t be at her wedding, her mother will never meet the grandchild she dreamed of and she will never get to help her sister open the greenhouse they had planned together.
“You took that away from me,” she said to Barry.
“I’m left for the rest of my life with a gaping hole in my heart and an incredible amount of trauma to unpack,” she said.
“Laura and Jamie were two people full of life, and that potential is gone,” said Karen Seinen, sister of Laura and Jamie’s aunt outside the courthouse.
“It’s an unspeakable loss.”
Seinen said Laura used to share social media posts about coffee and gratitude, the same words family and friends wore on their sweaters as tribute.
“We hope to let people know that impaired driving of any kind can impact so many people,” said family member Karen Hannah.
‘Ultimately the proper sentence was imposed’
“I think for everybody involved, it was heartbreaking to listen to the victim impact statements, but ultimately the proper sentence was imposed,” said Crown prosecutor Andrew Clements.
Barry’s defence lawyer Brian Pffeferle explained that Barry was prepared to take responsibility for her actions immediately.
“When someone’s involved in a terrible incident like this, there’s very little they can do to make amends to the public (and) make amends to those affected,” he said.
“I can say that Ms. Barry has done absolutely everything one can do in her situation.”
Pfefferle also said that the Hannah family had provided Barry with gifts of comfort while she was in custody.
“The family showing that sign of compassion is truly remarkable and something worth note.”
‘I didn’t drink that much,’police told
According to RCMP, the crash happened just before 10 p.m. on Oct. 19, 2024 on Highway 11, about one kilometre north of Dundurn.
A Black Chevrolet Avalanche truck driven by Barry, and a red Mazda CX-3 SUV collided in the southbound lanes, with the truck going in the wrong direction — northbound in the southbound lanes — at the time of the collision.
The agreed statement of facts presented in court said the front ends of both vehicles were locked together, although both vehicles tried to brake. The truck was going 75 kilometres per hour before impact, while the victims’ vehicle reduced to 87km/h from 118km/h.
The Hannahs inside the SUV were both declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
Barry’s two children were inside her truck and were taken to hospital with what police described as “non-life-threatening injuries.” Court documents said “firefighters were trying to extract her son, who was still trapped in the front passenger seat.”
Barry’s three-year-old suffered a fractured C2 vertebrae and an injured orbital bone. Her 8-year-old broke his femur and had soft tissue injuries to his clavicle, STARS airlifted him to the hospital.
Barry had “told officers ‘I didn’t drink that much,’ and officers could smell alcohol on her breath.”
At the police station, samples of Barry’s breath showed that “at 5 minutes after midnight, her sample was 210 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.”
Barry’s written statement
Barry provided a written statement to the court, in which she said she is profoundly sorry for taking two lives and injuring her children. She is grateful her children have healed physically, but “now, they are facing one of their biggest fears and that is losing their mother, as I am being sentenced.”
She goes on to recognize it has been “146 days for you all without Laura and Jamie and I think about this every day.”
She also said “I am 100 per cent the cause of this accident”, adding she told her lawyer “to plead guilty to whatever offence would help the family most.”
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