British Columbia·NewThompson Rivers University volleyball player Owyn McInnis, 22, was killed, and two of his teammates were seriously injured on Nov. 29, 2023, when their Volkswagen car was hit by an out-of-control Dodge Ram truck and pushed into a busy intersection, causing a vehicle pileup. TRU volleyball player Owyn McInnis was killed and 2 of his teammates were seriously injured in the 2023 crashListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesTRU volleyball player Owyn McInnis, 22, died in a November 2023 crash and two of his teammates were seriously injured. The driver who caused the crash received an $1,800 fine and a 15-month driving ban. (Owyn McInnis/Instagram) The driver who caused a multi-vehicle crash that led to the death of a Thompson Rivers University (TRU) volleyball player in Kamloops, B.C., has been sentenced.Colval Shaquille Abbinett, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of driving without due care and attention. He was behind the wheel of a Dodge Ram that hit a Volkswagen Jetta near the TRU campus on Nov. 29, 2023.TRU volleyball player Owyn McInnis, 22, was killed, and two of his teammates were seriously injured.Seven other people were hurt in the ensuing pileup.Abbinett received an $1,800 fine and a 15-month driving ban, short of the maximum penalty of $2,000 and a two-year ban.The charge, which falls under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act, can also result in up to six months of jail time. However, Crown and defence agreed that jail time would not be an appropriate punishment given Abbinett did not intend to cause the loss of life or injury.At Wednesday’s hearing, the circumstances leading up to the crash were shared in front of Abbinett as well as friends and family of McInnis, some of whom had flown in from other parts of the country for the sentencing. LISTEN | CBC reporter Marcella Bernardo describes the sentencing and its aftermath:Radio West9:38Sentencing hearing for driver who caused deadly crash near TRU in Kamloops two years agoColval Shaquille Abbinett was given an $1,800 fine and is prohibited from driving for 15 months. On Nov. 29, 2023, Abbinett caused a deadly chain reaction collision near Thompson Rivers University.It was heard that Abbinett may have fallen asleep or passed out while driving, and witnesses had testified the truck was driving at erratic speeds, with one witness saying he saw Abbinett slumped over the wheel just before the crash.Fourteen victim impact statements were shared in the courtroom, including from McInnis’s fiancée, who described the loss of the future the couple had planned together.One of the teammates injured in the crash said he spent close to five months in a coma, and his family was warned he would likely not recover. He said he is still suffering from a brain injury and is unable to live fully independently. Chris and Karri Brinnen’s son was seriously injured in a crash in Kamloops. B.C. near the Thompson Rivers University campus on Nov. 29, 2023. On Nov. 5, 2025, they attended the sentencing hearing for the man deemed responsible for the incident. (Marcella Bernardo/CBC)Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, regional Crown counsel Jessica Patterson said the case had been “challenging,” and explained why the prosecution did not seek a harsher sentence, which some of the victims’ family and friends have called for.”Criminal law in Canada doesn’t criminalize people for involuntary behaviour,” she said. With the witness testimony indicating Abbinett was not conscious at the time of the crash, she said, pursuing charges tied to a deliberate act likely would not have been successful.”We have to be satisfied that there’s a substantial likelihood of conviction,” when deciding which charges to pursue, she said, based on their ability to prove the charges “beyond a reasonable doubt.”Chris Brinnen, the father of one of the surviving crash victims, said he appreciated hearing the details of what happened and the explanation offered, but still felt the punishment available fell short of the impact the crash had on his family.But, he said, he was looking to move beyond the legal battle and focus on his son’s recovery.”It’s never going to be over for any of us, but we can all move past this part,” Brinnen said.
$1.8K fine and 15-month driving ban for man who caused fatal crash in Kamloops, B.C.
