A Toronto man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in an impaired driving crash that instantly killed his passenger.
The accident occurred in 2012, on Mount Pleasant Road, near Eglinton Avenue, at around 2:30 a.m. Police said Oliver Karafa was driving with more than the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, and travelling at more than twice the posted speed limit.
Upon striking the pole, Karafa's passenger, David Chiang, 24, was ejected from the vehicle. Police said he was killed instantly.
Karafa was found guilty last month of a number of charges, including impaired driving, criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving.
In a decision released on Friday, Justice Gary Trotter described Karafa's decision to drive while impaired as “egregious” and "utterly senseless," but felt that Karafa had expressed remorse for his role in the crash.
The courts also heard a gut-wrenching victim impact statement from Chiang’s sister as she described how Karafa’s fatal decision has left her family utterly devastated.
“Our home is now broken and missing a vital piece of our family,” she wrote.
Outside the courtroom, Det. Const. Carl Anderson said the unfortunate tragedy serves as an important reminder to all motorists.
“Don’t drink and drive, people will get hurt, people will get killed and people will go to prison.”
With a report from CTV Toronto’s Tamara Cherry
