CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. man who fled the scene of an accident after taking his mother’s vehicle without her permission while he was banned from driving will be back in court in June to hear his sentence.
Sean Earle Durnnian appeared before Judge John Douglas in provincial court in Charlottetown Monday where he pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and driving while disqualified.
The court heard that in October, Durnnian took his mother’s keys without permission, despite being under a driving prohibition.
While he was driving around with a passenger, Durnnian hit another vehicle.
His passenger told police she remembered an airbag hitting her in the face and then seeing a wreck.
She said when she came to, Durnnian was freaking out and left without her after she refused to go with him.
A witness followed Durnnian and reported him to police.
During her submissions, Crown attorney Lisa Goulden referred to a victim impact statement that showed the physical injuries and emotional impact were “quite traumatic” for the other driver.
That driver had a fractured wrist and was in a cast for two months.
Goulden said since the accident the driver finds she panics while on the road and she is angry Durnnian fled the scene.
A pre-sentence report from another offence mentioned that Durnnian’s father died in an accident, which Goulden said made his driving behaviour such a concern.
The court heard Durnnian is also serving a conditional sentence on another matter until May 30.
Defence lawyer Thane MacEachern said Durnnian told the police he left the scene because he was scared.
Douglas adjourned the matter to give Durnnian a chance to finish his classes and the conditional sentence.
