Family members of a woman killed by a reckless driver in Saskatoon wept as the man responsible for her death was handcuffed and led away to serve a two-year jail term.
Late Friday afternoon in Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench, Justice Daryl Labach handed down the sentence for Wylie Gunnar Vermette, which includes two years of probation after his release. The sentence was a joint submission presented by the Crown and defence in April.
Vermette, 25, pleaded guilty in January to one count of dangerous driving causing death for a fatal collision in the Kelsey Woodlawn area on June 11, 2024 that killed 22-year-old Natalie Gardipy. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm for injuring two other passengers in Gardipy’s vehicle, including Brandi Keenatch, who was left a paraplegic.
Judge's Remarks on Reckless Driving
“He and he alone was responsible for the collision that day. I do not know why he was driving like a bat out of hell, I was given no reason,” Labach said.
Court heard Vermette was driving his unregistered Dodge Ram truck at speeds as high as 128 kilometres per hour when he hit a Cadillac SUV carrying the victims. At the time of impact, it was estimated the truck was going 103 km/hour.
A video previously played in court showed Vermette’s truck hitting the SUV on the driver’s side as it proceeded from a stop sign at Quebec Avenue and 39th Street East around 6:15 p.m.
Witness Accounts and Vehicle Condition
Before the crash, witnesses described the truck as “accelerating like crazy,” with exhaust seen coming from the truck’s hood. An inspection of the vehicle found it was not “road worthy.” It had mechanical issues, the rear brakes were inoperable, and it had been modified or “chipped” to allow for faster acceleration.
Speaking with media following sentencing submissions in April, Gardipy’s mother Marcella Kyplain said Vermette “needs to know (the sentence is) not enough and he needs to be held accountable for his actions.” Kyplain described her daughter as a “beautiful person” who was “too good to be gone so early.”
Aggravating and Mitigating Factors
In his decision, Labach said Vermette had been cited on nine previous occasions for speeding before the fatal collision. Another aggravating factor was that he was driving twice the legal speed limit. Labach also considered mitigating factors, which included Vermette’s lack of a prior criminal record, his guilty plea and that he is considered a low risk to reoffend.
The judge said he believes the offender is remorseful, even though Vermette didn’t express it when given the chance. “I am disappointed he did not have the courage to express that remorse to the victim’s family, who were in the gallery (at) the last court appearance,” he told court.
Vermette, dressed in a buttoned shirt, appeared nervous, shifting in the prisoner’s box. He only spoke once when he told the judge he didn’t have any questions about his probation conditions.
