A Sandys senior involved in a traffic collision that cost a man his foot was dealt a suspended prison sentence.

Henry Darrell, 73, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to a charge that he caused grievous bodily harm to Ronald Tankard by driving a car on the Railway Trail in Sandys while his ability to do so was impaired.

The incident was said to have taken place on May 3, 2022.

Puisne Judge Alan Richards said if Darrell was younger and healthier, his actions would have likely resulted in him being put behind bars.

“Mr Tankard’s whole life has been changed by your thoughtless disregard for his safety and the safety of other road users,” Mr Justice Richards said.

“You got behind the wheel of your car when you had no business being anywhere near it because you were obviously intoxicated.

“This terrible think happened and there’s nothing anybody could do to make Mr Tankard whole again, to give him back the foot that he lost.”

Mr Justice Richards sentenced Darrell to 18 months behind bars, but suspended the sentence for a period of two years.

He also ordered Darrell to serve two years of probation, requiring him to attend mental health treatment court and abstain from drugs and alcohol.

Mr Justice Richards further banned Darrell from driving all vehicles for five years.

The court heard that at about 10pm on May 3, 2022, police attended the scene of a single-vehicle crash on the Railway Trail near the junction with Scotts Hill Road in Sandys.

When the officers arrived, they found the car in the middle of the trail with extensive front-end damage and the driver’s side of the windscreen.

A witness directed officers to Darrell, stating that he had driven into the victim, who was laying in a nearby driveway with his left leg wrapped.

The court heard the victim, Mr Tankard, had suffered serious injuries to his left ankle and foot including a “severe partial amputation”.

The officers spoke to Darrell, who said: “This wasn’t supposed to happen. How did this happen?

“Just take me in. I’m an old man, it’s all over.”

He later confirmed to the officer that he had been at “boat club” and that he had three or four beers.

Darrell was arrested by officers and, after complaining about knee pain, was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where he agreed to provide blood samples.

In a police interview, Darrell said he had two beers before leaving the club while it was still daylight.

He went on to say that he had “blacked out” and the only thing he remembered was talking to two police officers and complaining about knee pain.

Asked when his knee started hurting, he responded: “After I hit the wall”.

The blood samples taken from Darrell at KEMH were subsequently tested were found to contain not less than 170mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, more than double the legal limit of 80mg.

At a sentencing hearing yesterday, Darrell apologised for his actions stating: “I’m very sorry for everything, for everything that happened.”

During the hearing, the court heard that Darrell was technically not eligible for the Mental Health Treatment Court programme, but that he would benefit from the programme because of his medical conditions.

Mr Justice Richards said in sentencing that reports had indicated Darrell had “some particular challenges” which warranted the court should take an “exceptional course” in the case and suspend the period of incarceration.

However, he warned Darrell that any breach of the conditions of his probation order could result in the 18-month sentence being activated.

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