Kelowna woman fined $2,000 for crash that killed motorcyclist
A Kelowna teenager who killed a 60-year-old South Okanagan motorcyclist when her vehicle crossed the centre line has been fined $2,000 and won't get a criminal conviction.
Carlie Dawn Dudych, born 2002, also doesn't face any kind of driving ban.
Dudych was 19 years old when the Chevrolet Tracker she was driving on Highway 33 hit motorcyclist Steve Dahnert on Thanksgiving Day 2020. Dahnert later died at Kelowna General Hospital.
Almost a year after the fatal collision, Dudych was charged with driving without due care and attention in September 2021. She originally decided to proceed to a trial but later pleaded guilty to the single charge in September this year.
On Monday, Nov. 14, in Kelowna provincial court she was fined $2,000 for driving without due care and attention under the Motor Vehicle Act, but the court did not impose any kind of driving restriction.
The offence that took the 60-year-old's life, falls under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act and is not a criminal conviction. The collision took place near Goudie Road and Highway 33 and Goudie Road on Oct. 12, 2020.
Dahnert, who had been married for 30 years and was a father and grandfather, had been a trades and apprenticeship instructor at Okanagan College in Penticton for close to 15 years.
"Steve was an infectiously passionate person who loved life and everything it had to offer," reads an online obituary. "Steve was a true romantic who cherished every moment he had with (his wife)."
Shortly after his death, Okanagan College created a memorial award in memory of Dahnert.
"He had so many great skills, brought amazing energy to the campus and (was) passionate about sharing his knowledge with everyone," Okanagan College Dean Eric Corneau said in a tribute on its website.
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