A young woman's refusal to provide cops with a breath sample following a collision came with costly consequences.
Allison Bromell-Hurley must pay a $2,600 financial penalty for her actions on Aug. 20, 2022 and can't get behind the wheel for a year.
The 27-year-old also faces repercussions that may impact on her employment and career aspirations, a judge heard this week.
Bromell-Hurley was charged following reports of a single-vehicle accident at Trunk Road and Frontenac Street.
Her vehicle, which had significant front-end damage, was located behind a group of trees just past the railroad tracks, prosecutor Adrianna Mucciarelli said.
The driver, who had a small cut over her right eye and obvious bruising to her chest, was transported to the Sault Area Hospital by ambulance.
She also had an odour of alcohol, red, glassy eyes and her speech was slurred, the assistant Crown attorney said.
Bromell-Hurley told a police breath test technician that she didn't want to provide a sample and "never did."
Mucciarelli and defence lawyer Anthony Orazietti jointly called for the mandatory minimum fine of $2,000, plus a 12-month driving prohibition.
He described the incident as "out of character" and "a one-off situation" for his client, who has been "a contributing member of society."
A Sault College health sciences student, Bromell-Hurley is employed as a residential worker at a local non-profit shelter.
Prior to that she worked at a charity in Montreal for three years.
"She's likely lost her employment," Orazietti said. "This comes with a great cost."
Bromell-Hurley apologized for her actions.
"I can say I learned a lesson the hard way, unfortunately," she assured Kwolek. "It won't happen again."
The judge admonished "you crashed your vehicle, injured yourself .... were under the influence and refused to provide a sample."
He told Bromell-Hurley: "You're fortunate you didn't seriously harm yourself or anyone else."
Hopefully, this has been a bump on the road and you can continue to work toward your goals, Kwolek suggested.
"Hopefully, you'll add to the health care professionals we need in our community."
In addition to the $2,000 fine, Kwolek imposed a $600 victim impact surcharge, and gave her two years to pay the penalties.