A night of drinking is something a Moose Jaw-area teen will likely not soon forget after he smashed into city infrastructure and caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Nicholas Dylan Ferguson, 18, appeared in Moose Jaw provincial court recently and pleaded guilty to one count of operating a motor vehicle while impaired. As part of a joint submission, he must pay a fine of $1,000, be banned from driving for one year, have his licence cancelled, and pay a victim surcharge of $300.
The Crown stayed two other charges against him.
Ferguson was out with friends on March 19 and consumed several alcoholic beverages, including vodka, Crown prosecutor Rob Parker said while discussing the facts. The teen had one passenger with him around 4:45 a.m. — he had dropped off another friend earlier — when he smashed into a parking meter, light post, and stair railing on the 0 block of Hochelaga Street West.
Police later located the teen hiding in a backyard on Athabasca Street West around 6:15 a.m. Officers noticed that Ferguson had the smell of alcohol on him and was impaired. After bringing the boy to the station, police noticed that he had a seatbelt rash on his neck, while they also found the vehicle key on him.
This was a “major accident” since Ferguson caused roughly $30,000 worth of damage, added Parker. It’s positive that he has accepted responsibility, but he will face significant financial penalties because he must deal with Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI).
Ferguson has no previous criminal record.
Mitigating factors that lessen the sentence are that Ferguson accepts responsibility and that this issue has been resolved early, said defence lawyer Estes Fonkalsrud. His family has also taken this issue seriously and wants to help him move forward. They have spoken with him to ensure this never happens again.
“He has acknowledged he was driving that night. He acknowledges that he would have been over the legal limit and (it) was inappropriate for him to be driving. It was a very poor decision on his part,” continued Fonkalsrud. “He’s going to be dealing with SGI for damages, which we expect to be tens of thousands of dollars.”
Ferguson is lucky there were no injuries in the collision, aside from the rash on his neck, the defence lawyer stated. This incident has been a wake-up call since the teen needs a vehicle for his farm job but now faces reduced hours since he can’t do the same amount of work, drive from site to site, or pick up equipment.
“It will have significant financial consequences,” Fonkalsrud added.
“I am very sorry. It was a bad decision,” Ferguson said.
Judge Daryl Rayner accepted the joint recommendation and gave Ferguson seven months to pay his fine.
Moose Jaw provincial court next meets on May 10.
The Provincial Court section holds articles that have been written without prejudice with the information that has been presented in a public court of appeal available to the media and public.
