Driver in fatal Hwy 5 crash sentenced to 3 years in prison

A man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after a highway crash north of Kamloops, B.C., killed three people last year.

David Morris Khadikin, 40, was driving a blue F-150 pickup truck southbound on Highway 5 near Blackpool on March 1, 2023 when his vehicle started veering off the road, according to a joint submission by the Crown and defence.

He suddenly crossed the centre line, drove into the northbound lane and hit a Ford F-550 commercial truck towing a refrigeration trailer, court heard.

Then, Khadikin collided head-on with an oncoming Ford Escape SUV that was behind the truck, killing three people and seriously injuring two others.

Anthony Varesi, the Crown prosecutor in thecase, told CBC News the people who died were all members of the same family who recently came to Canada as refugees from Afghanistan.

Injuries to the two who were hurt included brain bleeding,three broken vertebrae and a fractured femur.

Traces of cocaine, opiates

Khadikin pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing death on Monday.

According to the court submission, traces of cocaine and prescription opiates were found in a sample of Khadikin's blood taken after the incident.

He will be banned from driving for three years once he's released.

Khadikin also pleaded guilty to one count of driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention in relation to a highway crash that resulted in the death of one person near Enderby, B.C., in 2021, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.

He was fined$1,600 and prohibited from driving for six months in connection with that incident.