Man sentenced to 20 months for killing father of 4 after running stop sign

Augustin Henry, 57, was sentenced Tuesday to 20 months in jail for dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm in a January 5, 2020 collision that killed Daniel Bzdel, 46, at a rural intersection in Rocky View County.

Bzdel's wife described him in a victim impact statement as her "best friend." The couple had four children together. Their daughter, Aura, was 10 years old at the time of the crash and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury from which she continues to recover.

Henry was not impaired, speeding, or driving erratically when he blew through the stop sign. The intersection carried multiple warnings: five sets of rumble strips, several signs announcing the upcoming intersection, flashing red lights, and an oversized stop sign positioned 500 metres ahead. At Henry's speed, drivers had 18 to 23 seconds to react.

Justice Janice Ashcroft rejected Henry's request for an 18-month conditional sentence order with house arrest, ruling that "actual incarceration is required." The prosecutor had sought three years. Ashcroft cited deterrence and denunciation as governing principles, and noted that Henry maintained he could have done nothing differently—demonstrating, in her assessment, little insight into his accountability.

Henry, a permanent resident who moved to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago in the 1980s as a teenager, will lose his right to appeal any deportation order as a result of the sentence exceeding six months.

Bzdel's family released a statement saying the sentence "reinforces our and society's confidence that human life, public safety, and accountability are taken seriously by the courts."