Trucker Jailed for Fatal Crash

A judge in Calgary, AB, has imposed a 30-month jail term on a sleep-deprived dump truck driver who caused a fatal crash.

A dump truck driven by Michael Scott Ernst, 40, crashed into vehicles stopped at a traffic light, killing Lorraine Faren, a 40-year-old Calgary mother, in summer 2003. The truck was traveling at nearly 50 kilometers an hour (30 miles an hour) when it slammed into Faren’s car.

Ernst, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, was also issued a six-year driving prohibition that kicks in after his release from prison. Justice Marsha Erb said Ernst was overtired and knew he should not have been driving, yet he did so, with tragic results.

The dump truck crashed into nine vehicles. Lorraine Faren’s car, the last in the line-up at the light, was run over and crushed by the large truck. She died at the scene. No other serious injuries occurred.