Man sentenced to community service, $1,200 fine for crash that killed Vancouver Island teacher

A 21-year-old college student has been fined $1,200 and ordered to complete 25 hours of community service after the vehicle he was driving veered into oncoming traffic and killed a 29-year-old teacher in a head-on crash near Courtenay.

Christopher Hoelzley pleaded guilty to one count of driving without due care and attention for the May 11, 2022 crash that killed Melissa Stathers, who had just moved to Courtenay from the B.C. mainland for a teaching job. Stathers and her fiancé had bought a house near her new school and planned to marry that July.

Judge Jeremy Hermanson, in his sentencing decision published Friday, described the fatal crash on Highway 19A as tragic and inexplicable.

'A MOMENT OF INATTENTION'

"When the vehicle driven by Mr. Hoelzley entered a slight corner, inexplicably Mr. Hoelzley’s car crossed the double yellow line and struck Ms. Stathers’ vehicle," Hermanson wrote.

"I say inexplicably as Mr. Hoelzley is unable to provide any explanation for his moment of inattention," he said.

"There is no suggestion of intoxication, excessive speed or aggressive driving on his part. There is no suggestion that weather or road conditions played a role. Mr. Hoelzley is left to speculate as to what transpired but he is unable to provide any answers."

Hoelzley, a North Island College student, walked away from the crash with minor injuries while Stathers, a new teacher at Mark Isfeld Secondary School, died at the scene.

Hoelzley had no prior driving infractions on his record, the judge said, and no criminal record. "There is no suggestion that he was or is an aggressive or indifferent driver," Hermanson said.

The judge counted Hoelzley's "extremely early guilty plea" and his remorse as mitigating factors in his sentencing decision.

"Ms. Stathers’ death is something he will carry for the remainder of his life," Hermanson said.

"This was a moment of inattention that resulted in a failure to negotiate a slight turn. The consequences were horrific but the consequences are not a factor in determining his moral blameworthiness."

STATHERS REMEMBERED IN VICTIM STATEMENTS

The court heard victim-impact statements from students, colleagues, friends and family of Stathers. They told of a "remarkable" young woman and a "dedicated teacher and coach" who mentored young female athletes.

"A common thread through the victim impact statements is the difficulty of living with the fact that the plans and hopes of Melissa Stathers will never be realized," the judge said. "While Ms. Stathers is referred to in the past tense, their extraordinary pain is spoken in the present and future tense."

Hermanson acknowledged that no sentence he could impose would address the "profound loss and the lives that have been changed forever as a result of Mr. Hoelzley’s lack of attention or momentary inattention."

"The law is not equipped or designed to address the exceptional loss and corresponding emotional pain," he told the court. "Indeed, nothing can address that loss. We cannot make Melissa Stathers loved ones whole."

The judge accepted a joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence counsels, imposing on Hoelzley a $1,200 fine, 25 hours of community service, one year of probation and a 10-month driving prohibition.