VICTORIA -- Sentencing has begun for a 26-year-old man who has pleaded guilty to his role in a crash that left a woman with severe brain injuries in Saanich in 2019.

The crash occurred on July 15, 2019, when Aisha Strange, 20, was struck on her moped by a minivan that was travelling 110 km/h near the intersection of McKenzie Avenue and Shelbourne Street.

The driver, later identified as Drake Reynes by police, was impaired at the time and tried to flee the scene in his van and then on foot before being located by police.

The Crown said Monday that Reynes was awake the entire night before the crash and was consuming alcohol and cocaine. After he fled the crash, the Crown says he called 911 to turn himself in and admit to what had happened.

He said Monday that he made a senseless decision to get behind the wheel and that he is sorry for the pain he caused to Strange and her family.

After the crash, Strange was taken to hospital for treatment of critical injuries and was placed into a medically induced coma one day later.

Since then, she has required 24-hour care for more than 480 days, according to a victim impact statement from her father, Kevin Strange.

He told the court Monday that Reynes handed his daughter a “life sentence” and that she will live the remainder of her life injured and below the poverty line.

Kevin Strange said that his daughter has lost movement in both her legs and that she is undergoing physiotherapy to recover the use of her arms. She is unable to speak and can only communicate by blinking her eyes, largely to respond to yes or no questions, he said.

At one point, the man said his daughter’s pain was so intense that she damaged two of her teeth because she was clenching her mouth due to the pain.

Kevin Strange added that the entire family’s lives have changed due to the need for round-the-clock care, which has impacted his ability to work and has required him to use his retirement savings.

During the father’s statement, Reynes could be heard sobbing in the courtroom.

In a joint submission by lawyers for the Crown and defence, the Crown asked for two and a half years in prison, plus a five-year prohibition on driving.

Reynes was initially charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm, operating a vehicle with over .08 alcohol in his body causing bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and leaving the scene of a collision which resulted in bodily harm in September 2019.

The hearing was adjourned Monday and will continue at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.