Lower Economy woman pleads guilty to drunk-driving charges from 2022 crash

A Lower Economy woman has pleaded guilty to drunk-driving charges in connection with a head-on crash near her Colchester County home in July 2022 that sent all seven people in the two vehicles, including her two sons, to hospital.

Lindsay Anne Parker, 38, entered guilty pleas last week in Truro provincial court on six counts of causing bodily harm by driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

Judge Alain Begin ordered Parker to co-operate with the preparation of a presentence report and scheduled her sentencing hearing for Jan. 19.

Crown attorney Thomas Kayter and defence lawyer David Green told the court they have not agreed on a sentencing recommendation. The judge noted Parker is at risk of going to jail.

Parker was driving a Buick LeSabre that collided with a Hyundai Kona travelling in the opposite direction on Highway 2 on July 24, 2022, at about 3:45 p.m. 

RCMP, firefighters and paramedics responded to the crash.

A passenger in the SUV, a 55-year-old man from Montreal, suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to hospital by LifeFlight, RCMP said. 

The driver and another passenger, a 65-year-old man and a 59-year-old man, both from Bible Hill, suffered serious injuries and were transported to hospital by paramedics. The third passenger, a 55-year-old woman from Montreal, had minor injuries.

Parker and one of her children were seriously injured, and the other child sustained minor injuries. All three were taken to hospital by paramedics.

An RCMP collision reconstructionist attended the scene to gather evidence. Investigators also obtained judicial authorizations to collect Parker’s blood and medical records. The blood was sent away for testing to determine the concentration of alcohol or drugs.

In December, RCMP received the completed blood analysis and learned that Parker’s blood alcohol concentration was .148, well above the legal limit of .08.

The collision reconstructionist concluded the crash occurred after the westbound LeSabre went across the middle line and into the path of the oncoming Kona. 

“There was insufficient evidence to determine why the driver of the (LeSabre) failed to maintain their path of travel, however it is consistent with driver inattention,” the reconstructionist said in documents filed with the court.

The crash happened just down the road from Parker’s home, where she had been arguing with her mother, who was visiting from Ontario. Prior to leaving the house with the kids, Parker called her mother-in-law and asked her to drive her parents to the airport.

After the crash, the LeSabre came to a stop on the roadway, while the Kona sailed through the air and landed in a field.

Admitted drinking beer

Parker told a medical first responder that she had consumed less than three beer around lunchtime. That responder did not smell alcohol on Parker’s breath, but a nurse who assisted at the scene detected a strong odour of alcohol on her breath. Another nurse who helped at the scene said there was an obvious smell of alcohol in the LeSabre.

The Montreal man who was airlifted to hospital suffered brain damage in the crash and will be institutionalized for life, the court documents say. The reconstructionist said based on physical evidence, it appears the man was not wearing a seatbelt.

The RCMP expert also concluded there was insufficient evidence to determine if Parker’s sons, who were four and six at the time, were wearing seatbelts. “However, neither of the passengers were secured in a child’s car seat or booster seat,” the reconstructionist said.

Parker was arrested at her home Dec. 21 and charged with 20 offences, including two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. The other charges included six counts each of impaired driving causing bodily harm and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

She originally elected to be tried in Nova Scotia Supreme Court by a judge alone but re-elected last week to have her case dealt with in provincial court.

The rest of the charges against Parker are expected to be withdrawn after she is sentenced.