The individual responsible for a multiple-vehicle collision resulting in the tragic death of a Thompson Rivers University (TRU) volleyball player in Kamloops, B.C., has been handed a sentence. Colval Shaquille Abbinett, 30, admitted guilt to driving without due care and attention. Abbinett was driving a Dodge Ram that collided with a Volkswagen Jetta near the TRU campus on Nov. 29, 2023. The crash claimed the life of TRU volleyball player Owyn McInnis, 22, and left two of his teammates with severe injuries. Additionally, seven other individuals sustained injuries in the subsequent chain of collisions.
Abbinett was fined $1,800 and received a 15-month driving ban, which was below the maximum penalties of a $2,000 fine and a two-year driving suspension. The offense falls under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act and carries a potential jail term of up to six months. However, both the prosecution and defense agreed that incarceration was not suitable in this case as Abbinett did not have any malicious intent to cause harm.
During the court session, details leading to the accident were disclosed, with Abbinett, as well as friends and family of McInnis, present, including some who had traveled from various parts of the country for the sentencing. It was revealed that Abbinett may have either fallen asleep or lost consciousness while driving, with witnesses attesting to erratic driving behavior and one witness observing Abbinett slumped over the wheel moments before the collision.
Fourteen victim impact statements were shared during the proceedings, with McInnis’s fiancée expressing the shattered dreams of their future together. One of the injured teammates recounted spending nearly five months in a coma, with doctors initially pessimistic about recovery, still grappling with a brain injury and the inability to live independently.
Outside the courthouse, regional Crown counsel Jessica Patterson explained the complexity of the case and why a harsher sentence was not pursued, citing the lack of criminalization for involuntary actions in Canadian law. With witness accounts suggesting Abbinett was not conscious during the incident, pursuing charges for deliberate actions would likely not succeed.
Chris Brinnen, a parent of a survivor from the crash, acknowledged the details presented and the reasoning behind the sentence but felt that the impact on his family outweighed the available punishment. Despite this, he expressed a desire to shift focus towards his son’s recovery, acknowledging that while the ordeal may never truly conclude, they must strive to move forward.
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