CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - A judge told a 27-year-old man convicted of impaired driving causing bodily harm that it is most regrettable that the people who are most innocent are often the ones most harmed.
Thomas Michael Archibald’s decision to drive drunk on Oct. 20 caused immediate physical harm and considerable subsequent harm.
Archibald struck a vehicle with his truck, resulting in the driver of the vehicle incurring a broken bone in her forearm.
On Tuesday, Archibald received his punishment, receiving an eight-month jail sentence, two-year probation and 100 hours of community service work.
But the fallout of Archibald’s impaired driving has a greater reach than his sentence and the physical harm to an innocent driver, Provincial Court Judge Nancy Orr was quick to note.
Related: Drunk driver awaits sentencing after crash that broke woman's arm in Charlottetown
Archibald’s criminal act is going to hurt his family dearly as well.
He has a young child and his wife is pregnant.
“His family are much like the (collision) victim,’’ said Orr.
“So, it's a sad day Mr. Archibald – a sad day for you and your family.’’
“The bells were singing for quite some time and he apparently turned a deaf ear to those bells."
-Judge Nancy Orr
Archibald stood in court, apologizing for his actions, saying words could not express just how sorry he is.
He called the outcome of his decision to drive drunk a wake-up call.
Orr, however, felt Archibald should have taken action for his alcoholism well before this incident.
Archibald has a prior impaired driving charge from September 2014.
His battle with the bottle, court heard, also resulted in a two-month separation from his wife in 2016.
“The bells were singing for quite some time and he apparently turned a deaf ear to those bells,’’ said Orr.
The judge, after talking at length at the ongoing problem of drunk driving in the province, informed the court that the charge of impaired driving causing bodily harm carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
“So it’s a very serious matter,’’ said Orr.
