An adult male is facing impaired driving charges in relation to the incident. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

hit and run

‘I didn’t have a chance’: Impaired driving victim speaks out

Jun 14, 2021 | 3:58 PM

A local man who became the victim of an alleged impaired driver Friday says life can change in a second.

“As cautious as you are as a motorist, whether it’s a motorbike or a vehicle, all you need is one impaired driver to change things in a split second,” Peter Boniface said in an interview with larongeNOW. “I’m actually fairly fortunate. I probably will be able to recover.”

Boniface had been travelling home after visiting friends on Friday when he became involved in a motor-vehicle collision on Highway 2 near Keethanow Gas Bar. He was just passing the intersection where the highway speed is reduced from 60 kilometre per hour to 50 when he said a northbound vehicle crossed into his lane.

“I didn’t have a chance to react and hit them straight head on,” Boniface said. “I ended up going over the top of the vehicle and landing about 10 or 15 feet behind the vehicle. I could tell I had injured myself pretty severely right away, so I just laid still.”

Boniface noted concerned citizens attended to him immediately and an off-duty doctor and nurse attended to him until an ambulance arrived. He was then airlifted to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon and treated in the trauma unit. Boniface sustained fractures in his pelvis, right arm, and left and right tibulas. His recovery is expected to take eight weeks or more.

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As Boniface was rushed to the hospital, La Ronge RCMP began investigating and, according to a media release, the motorist that struck him didn’t remain on the scene. Within two hours of the collision, the occupants of the car were located and Darwin Venne, 28, was arrested. His birthday was on Saturday.

Venne has been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle, impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm and failure to stop at the scene of an accident. He will appear in court Aug. 23.

“It happened so quickly. I’m not happy about it,” Boniface said. “I believe there is a lot of impaired driving that goes on in the La Ronge area.”

Boniface would like to see changes made to the area he was hit. He said reducing the number of entrances and exits at Keethanow Gas Bar would make that section of highway safer for everyone.

The number of impaired driving charges laid by La Ronge RCMP went from 86 in 2019 to 146 in 2020. Read more here.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno