John Threlfall, who was found guilty in April of dangerous driving causing the death of a 49-year-old Vancouver woman, was sentenced to four years in jail on Friday.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Deborah Kloegman also imposed a lifetime driving ban on the 53-year-old.
Threlfall was charged after speeding through a red light at Broadway and Maple Street on July 25, 2007. He crossed six lanes of traffic before crashing into another vehicle, which was sent flying into pedestrian Grace Chan.
Chan died in hospital that evening, leaving behind her husband of 13 years, Paul Molund.
Outside the courthouse on Friday, Molund told reporters that the impact of Threlfall's sentencing had not yet settled in. "None of this brings Grace back," he said.
Molund said Threlfall had ruined his life, but that he was working to forgive him.
"I've tried to conduct myself the way I think Grace would have wanted me to, and she would have forgiven him," he said. "He's done this to himself and I don't want to add to that. I don't want to be at his level."
Though the Crown had requested a five or six-year sentence, prosecutor Dawn Boblin said she was satisfied with the outcome of the trial. Threlfall's four-year jail term will still send the appropriate message, she said.
"It's important that people know that if you drive this way and cause the kind of catastrophic consequences that Mr. Threlfall did, you're going to serve a serious penalty," Boblin said.
"The circumstances are horrible, and Miss Chan was an extraordinary person."
Threlfall's prior driving record included three dangerous driving offences and two impaired driving convictions. He has also been convicted of breaking and entering and drug trafficking.
Molund who was holding an album of photos of his late wife, said he hopes Thelfall will abide by his lifetime driving ban, and that others will think twice about dangerous driving.
"I want anybody out there to imagine it's them holding up pictures of their loved ones someday, because of the behaviour of many of the drivers out there."
