VICTORIA -- A Saanich woman who was convicted of dangerous driving in a crash left a young girl with life-altering brain injuries has been sentenced to two years in prison.
On Jan. 22, Tenessa Nikirk was found guilty in the 2017 crash that left 11-year-old Leila Bui with injuries so severe that she will require constant care for the rest of her life.
On Monday, Judge Mayland McKimm sentenced the 24-year-old Nikirk to two years in a federal penitentiary and prohibited her from driving for three years upon her release.
McKimm told the Victoria court during sentencing that Nikirk had three speeding tickets at the time of the crash and said she was texting and speeding when she struck Bui in a marked crosswalk.
A video expert hired testified during the trial that Nikirk’s SUV was travelling in excess of 100 km/h before the crash and only came to a stop about 18 to 20 metres beyond where it struck the girl at Ash Road and Torquay Drive.
Witnesses also testified that Nikirk was texting while driving and crossing a yellow line into the oncoming lane to pass vehicles before the crash occurred.
Bui suffered what the Crown described as "catastrophic injuries," including a permanent brain injury, a broken neck and a ruptured spleen.
