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An Île Bizard resident was found guilty Thursday morning on all three of the charges she faced in the case where she ran over and killed a cyclist in Pierrefonds.
Christine Pryde, 32, was found guilty at the Montreal courthouse of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death, operating a vehicle while impaired and causing death by criminal negligence.
The victim, Irène Dehem, a mother of three, was fatally struck by Pryde’s Hyundai Accent shortly after noon on May 18, 2021 while riding on l’Anse-à-l’Orme Rd. in Pierrefonds.
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As Pryde’s Accent approached a curve in the road it continued to head straight, crossed into the oncoming lane and ended up in a ditch. The car struck Dehem on her bicycle while it was on that path.
Quebec Court Judge Dennis Galiatsatos said Pryde “knew she was a serious risk to safety” when she headed out from her workplace to get an iced coffee from a restaurant when she could have had a regular coffee at work to deal with her fatigue.
“The court readily accepts that Miss Pryde did not voluntarily fall asleep in the sense that she didn’t intend to doze off while driving. It is inconceivable that anyone would,” Galiatasatos said while reading from parts of an 87-page decision. “Driving while tired does not, by itself, connote a risk of falling asleep That being said, at the case at Bar, the warning signs were numerous and obvious. The onset of sleep was neither sudden, unexpected or unpredictable.”
On the impaired driving charge, the judge determined that Pryde’s ability to drive safely was affected by Ativan, medication she took the night before and morning of the collision.
Galiatsatos ordered that Pryde turn over her driver’s license immediately.
The judge delivered his written decision in English only and said he would order an official court translation later on Thursday. Before the trial began, Galiatsatos expressed concerns that the upcoming changes to the French Language Charter that took effect on June 1, including a requirement that all English decisions made in court be translated into French before they are delivered, would cause an unreasonable and unnecessary delay in the case. The judge was concerned the delay would open a door to allow Pryde to argue she had waited too long for the Crown to prosecute the case and request that a stay of proceedings be placed on the charges she faced.
The court will set a date for the sentencing stage of the case later on Thursday.
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