Voice shaking, widow of cyclist killed in hit-and-run addresses young driver in court
Rob Jenner 'dedicated his life to helping others' but was 'left to die on the side of the road'
The widow of a cyclist killed in a high-speed hit-and-run last year spoke in a shaky voice that grew louder in a Winnipeg courtroom Wednesday as she turned to directly address the driver responsible for taking her husband's life.
Wendy Van Loon said her sleep is still haunted by visions of her husband, Rob Jenner, colliding with the windshield of the vehicle Beckham Keneth Severight was driving that day in June, then coming crashing down to the ground on Wellington Crescent.
"This image is etched in my mind: his bright yellow shirt and vulnerable body lying there," Van Loon read from her victim impact statement during Severight's sentencing hearing, the paper in her hands trembling as she spoke.
"A man who dedicated his life to helping others, who would have stopped for a stranger, was left to die on the side of the road."
Jenner was preparing to retire and had just celebrated his 61st birthday the night before he was killed, court heard.
Severight, 19, pleaded guilty on Oct. 23 to dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene of a crash. He only had his learner's permit, and was going more than triple the speed limit in a residential area when he hit Jenner.
An agreed statement of facts previously read in court said a collision reconstruction analyst who reviewed the scene determined Severight was going at least 159 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
WATCH | Widow of cyclist killed in hit-and-run addresses young driver in court:
He never applied for bail, court heard, and was brought in for sentencing with his wrists and ankles shackled — in a large courtroom filled with dozens of people on either side, either there in support of Jenner's family or of Severight.
When given the chance to speak, Severight told court in a quiet voice he was ashamed of his actions, and how his carelessness led to such a tragedy.
"I am, from the bottom of my heart, deeply and truly sorry," he told Jenner's family.
Defence lawyer Mike Cook, who asked for an 18-month sentence to be followed by 18 months of supervised probation, described his client as being "as remorseful as a human being can be."
"Never once did Beckham Severight say to me, 'Hey Mike, can I beat these charges?'" Cook said, adding Severight didn't ever want to try to get bail. "It was always, 'I want to plead guilty. What do you think the Crown will ask for?'"
Prosecutors want a four-year prison sentence, minus credit for the time Severight has already spent in custody, and a five-year driving ban.
Court also heard impact statements from Jenner's nephew and from Patty Wiens — a cycling advocate given the title bicycle mayor of Winnipeg by the Amsterdam-based social enterprise BYCS — who read a community impact statement detailing the effect of Jenner's death on other cyclists across the city.
"If we expect to live where we can walk, cycle or even drive without fearing for our lives, we must stop simply asking drivers to pay attention and slow down. We need to make them slow down and hold them accountable," Wiens said.
Lost control of vehicle
The morning of the crash, Severight was driving his 18-year-old roommate's leased BMW. While the roommate was in the passenger's seat and had a valid licence, he wasn't legally permitted to be a supervising driver, court heard.
Crown attorney Matt Dueck said Severight "rapidly accelerated" as he navigated a sweeping curb near Hugo Street. Though both he and his roommate saw Jenner on his bike, Severight lost control of the BMW due to the speed he was going and started skidding as he tried to avoid the crash.
The vehicle's front bumper hit the bike's rear tire, throwing the cyclist onto and across the vehicle's hood before he hit the windshield.
People who saw the crash described Jenner as being thrown "no less than 10 feet into the air before his body came to rest just off the roadway," Dueck read from the agreed statement of facts.
Court heard Jenner was travelling safely and responsibly in the curb lane on a route regularly used by cyclists. He was taken to hospital and pronounced dead as the result of multiple blunt-force injuries from the collision.
'He was panicking'
Defence lawyer Cook provided more details about his client's background in court, describing a difficult childhood where Severight, along with his sisters, was made a permanent ward of child and family services around the age of two.
The lawyer said Severight doesn't have a relationship with his father, and his mother struggled with addiction until she died at age 30.
He said in more recent years, Severight was leading a positive life, describing him as a hard worker who was thinking about becoming a social worker — and noting the roughly 35 reference letters submitted to the court on his behalf.
But at the time of the crash, Cook said Severight was having difficulties in his relationship with his girlfriend, and wanted to go out for a drive with his roommate to clear his mind.
Cook said it was "morally reprehensible" to hit someone and leave without seeing if they were OK, and noted his client takes full responsibility for his actions that day — but court heard it was Severight's roommate who told him to keep driving after the crash.
"He was panicking," Cook said. "He's got his friend in his ear, 'Let's go, let's go, let's go.'"
Severight's roommate was later charged with failing to stop at the scene of an accident causing death. He's scheduled to appear in court again in May.
Provincial court Judge Cynthia Devine will give her sentencing decision for Severight at a later date.
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