A retired OPP officer admitted in court Friday to drinking before getting behind the wheel of his vehicle, and then causing a crash that left a Cambridge woman seriously hurt.
Paul Thompson, 69, was found guilty of causing bodily harm and of driving over the legal blood-alcohol limit.
He admitted to having had two alcoholic drinks before getting in his Cadillac on March 26, 2013.
While driving down Kossuth Road, Thompson’s vehicle crashed head-on into a vehicle being driven by Betty Ann Brown.
It’s not clear if alcohol or a medical event was to blame for the Cadillac veering over to the other side of the road.
An air ambulance was called in to transport Brown to a Hamilton hospital.
“It was an extremely serious situation. I was told that she may not make it,” husband Gord Brown told CTV News after the sentencing.
“You can’t imagine what kind of a black hole that puts you into, emotionally.”
Prior to being sentenced to four months in prison, Thompson apologized to Brown and her family.
“I have spent 30 years of my life helping people, not hurting them,” he said.
“I am sorry this happened and I will live with the consequences for the rest of my life.”
Gord Brown said he had been hoping to see a harsher sentence.
“It needed to send a message to everyone else that’s out there that might do the same thing,” he said.
