Driver involved in pedestrian fatality receives fine and suspension
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on May 11, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com
A 67-year-old Lethbridge man who struck and killed an elderly woman with his vehicle as she crossed a city street, has been fined and prohibited from driving under the Traffic Safety Act.
Godwin Paul Cohen, who pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving, was fined $2,000 Tuesday in Lethbridge provincial court and suspended from driving for three months.
At about 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2021 the elderly woman, who required a walker to help her walk, was crossing 13 Street North at a crosswalk when Cohen, who was driving southbound, struck the woman with his Saturn Ion.
Crown Prosecutor Adam Zelmer told court there was no indication that Cohen braked or slowed down before the collision, and the victim, who was about halfway across the road before she was hit, struck her head on the windshield before sliding off the driver’s side of the vehicle.
“She was struck with force such that her shoes and socks came off as a result of the collision,” Zelmer said, noting, however, the vehicle didn’t appear to be speeding at the time.
“(the woman) would have been visible in the crosswalk to any motorist exercising appropriate due care and attention while operating their motor vehicle.”
The woman was airlifted to Calgary but died just before midnight the same day.
Duty counsel lawyer Brett Carlson said Cohen always intended to plead guilty and accept responsibility, but the matter was delayed so Cohen could watch a video recording of the collision and better understand how it happened.
Carlson said Cohen didn’t know how the collision occurred, and why he failed to see the woman.
“I feel wholeheartedly terrible about this,” a visibly shaken Cohen told the judge. “I just want to put it behind me, sir. I am beside myself with sorrow.”
Judge John Maher acknowledged the tragedy for the woman and her family, as well as for Cohen, and said “it should be a lesson to all of us about how easy it is to be inattentive and not to pay attention to our driving. Unfortunately, all too often, the tragedies that I’ve referred to take place.”
Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter
4-3
She was a personal friend of mine. You are sorry. You’re a sorry excuse for a human being, Cohen. With a conviction, I hope they sue your pants off. Feel guilt for the rest of your life! Feel it HARD. If I ever meet you, I’ll remind you.