‘I have lost so many things’

A veteran police officer struggled to hold back tears Wednesday as he told a Winnipeg court of everything he has lost since suffering catastrophic injuries in a collision with a drunk driver described as a “ticking time bomb.”

“Because of the offender’s choice, for which he is solely responsible, I was sentenced to spend 207 days in hospital, 207 days away from my home, away from my duties to this city and its people,” said 51-year-old Winnipeg Police Service Const. Dan Léveillé, who arrived at court in a motorized wheelchair.

“I have lost so many things… I can no longer serve the citizens of Winnipeg in my chosen career,” he said. “I have lost the prospect of future employment after my retirement from policing, whenever that comes. I can no longer walk my dog, I can no longer hunt, as I have all my life, nor can I enjoy my passion for riding my motorcycle.”

Léveillé was behind the wheel of his motorcycle, on his way to work around 6 a.m. on June 14, 2023, when a minivan turned into his path at Talbot Avenue and Levis Street and struck him head on.

Léveillé was thrown onto the minivan’s windshield and landed on the road several metres away.

“I had no time to take evasive actions or manoeuvres or to protect myself,” he said. “I hit the windshield with such force my helmet was torn off my head.”

Braedon Lee Gordon, 23, the driver of the minivan, was set to stand trial but instead pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08 causing bodily harm. Court heard Gordon was prohibited from driving at the time of the collision and has three prior alcohol-related driving convictions.

“Mr. Gordon’s record is nothing short of infuriating,” Crown attorney Nick Reeves told provincial court Judge Dave Mann. “He was a ticking time bomb on the streets. This sort of calamity was inevitable.”

Mann sentenced Gordon to 35 months in prison, the same sentence recommended by Reeves and defence lawyer Michael Dyck, and prohibited him from driving for eight years. Court heard Manitoba Public Insurance has already banned Gordon from driving for life.

Reeves said the Crown and defence arrived at the sentence in the face of what could have been a shorter or longer term of imprisonment, depending on the court’s ruling. Courts are bound to accept joint recommendations unless they are clearly unfit.

“The position being put forward is absolutely justifiable in law,” Reeves said. “That being said, the public will disagree.

“I don’t think anyone in this gallery believes three years or even four years is an appropriate sentence given the harm caused,” he said. “We can justify these sentences legally by looking at moral blameworthiness when drivers don’t set out to hurt anyone, but when these offences cause more calamity than any other offence in the Criminal Code, it doesn’t sit well with the public when they see the sentences that are being imposed.”

Dozens of family members, friends and co-workers filled the courtroom in support of Léveillé.

Léveillé suffered a fractured spine and pelvis, ruptured rectum, a broken arm, leg and nose and other injuries only discovered after several days in hospital. He can no longer walk without a cane or crutches and lives with an increased risk of stroke.

After the collision, his daughter moved back home from Vancouver and his wife stepped away from work at her dance studio to care for him.

At the time of the collision, Léveillé and his wife Tobi were planning a Mexican getaway to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

“Instead of being in Mexico to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we ordered dinner into his hospital room,” Tobi said.

Tobi recalled the “agonizing wait” as Léveillé underwent emergency surgery following the collision, not knowing whether he would live or die.

“There was just so much damage to his body it was overwhelming,” Tobi said.

“Imagine you start your day completely able bodied, and then you are in bed for months, away from your home staring up at the ceiling or the walls,” she said. “My husband went from being healthy and independent to being broken, ill and in constant pain, dependent on others for everything.”

Gordon said reading the victim impact statements provided by Léveillé, his family and a co-worker made him better understand the consequences of his actions.

“It is hard for me to imagine the physical pain (Léveillé) experienced from the accident, his recovery and to this day,” Gordon told court via video from Brandon Correctional Centre. “It is clear to me you are a strong person as you fought and continue to fight in your recovery.

“I can also understand the frustration and anger you may have toward me — it is justified,” he said. “I’m sorry I hurt you and your family and your friends so much… I understand a day will come when my sentence will end and I will be released from custody. However, on that day I also know that you will be suffering the consequences of my actions. For that, as well, I am truly sorry.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca

Dean Pritchard
Courts reporter

Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read more about Dean.

Every piece of reporting Dean produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.

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