Brittany Barry sentenced to 6 years for crash that killed 2 women on highway near Saskatoon
CBC
A woman who drove the wrong way on a divided highway and crashed head-on into an SUV, killing the two women inside, will serve a six-year prison sentence.
Brittany Barry, 33, pleaded guilty to drunk driving causing the deaths of Laura Hannah, 53, and Jamie Hannah, 20, and injuring her own two children that were in the vehicle with her.
The collision happened Oct. 19, 2024, at about 9:45 p.m. CST on Highway 11 near Dundurn, about 35 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon.
According to an agreed statement of facts presented in court, mother and daughter Laura and Jamie Hannah died on impact when Barry's truck slammed into their vehicle.
Barry's two children both suffered injuries, including a fractured spine and broken leg, requiring one of them to be airlifted by STARS air ambulance.
Barry told officers at the scene, "I didn't drink that much," but officers said they could smell the alcohol on her breath and when they searched her truck, they found a nearly empty bottle of red wine in the back seat.
Barry failed a breathalyzer test at the scene, and at the RCMP detachment, her breath samples showed she had a blood-alcohol level two and a half times greater than the legal limit.
The courtroom at Saskatoon provincial court was packed on Friday with family members and friends of the victims.
Reanne Hannah, daughter to Laura and sister to Jamie, described the trio as best friends who became especially close-knit after her father died in 2016.
"They were my entire life," said Reanne in court.
"I'm a strong believer in justice and I believe the price you pay for your actions is important and well deserved. I hope that you make it through all of this with God by your side. I can't yet tell you that I forgive you, but I hope to someday."
Laura's partner Ron Krause remembered the two women as kind, caring, beautiful people in the world.
"You, Brittany [Barry], killed my partner Laura and her daughter Jamie and forever changed my life," Krause said to Barry.
Barry didn't say anything in court, but she had written a statement that the judge read aloud.
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