Brittany Barry sentenced to 6 years for crash that killed 2 women on highway near Saskatoon

Liam O'Connor · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 7:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A pistillate who drove the incorrect mode connected a divided road and crashed head-on into an SUV, sidesplitting the 2 women inside, volition service a six-year situation sentence.

Brittany Barry, 33, pleaded blameworthy to drunk driving causing the deaths of Laura Hannah, 53, and Jamie Hannah, 20, and injuring her ain 2 children that were successful the conveyance with her.

The collision happened Oct. 19, 2024, astatine astir 9:45 p.m. CST connected Highway 11 adjacent Dundurn, astir 35 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon.

According to an agreed connection of facts presented successful court, parent and girl Laura and Jamie Hannah died connected interaction erstwhile Barry's motortruck slammed into their vehicle.

Barry's 2 children some suffered injuries, including a fractured spine and breached leg, requiring 1 of them to beryllium airlifted by STARS aerial ambulance.

Barry told officers astatine the scene, "I didn't portion that much," but officers said they could odor the intoxicant connected her enactment and erstwhile they searched her truck, they recovered a astir bare vessel of reddish vino successful the backmost seat.

Barry failed a breathalyzer trial astatine the scene, and astatine the RCMP detachment, her enactment samples showed she had a blood-alcohol level 2 and a fractional times greater than the ineligible limit.

Victim interaction statements

The courtroom astatine Saskatoon provincial tribunal was packed connected Friday with household members and friends of the victims.

Reanne Hannah, girl to Laura and sister to Jamie, described the trio arsenic champion friends who became particularly close-knit aft her begetter died successful 2016.

"They were my full life," said Reanne successful court.

"I'm a beardown believer successful justness and I judge the terms you wage for your actions is important and good deserved. I anticipation that you marque it done each of this with God by your side. I can't yet archer you that I forgive you, but I anticipation to someday."

Laura's spouse Ron Krause remembered the 2 women arsenic kind, caring, beauteous radical successful the world.

"You, Brittany [Barry], killed my spouse Laura and her girl Jamie and everlastingly changed my life," Krause said to Barry.

Barry didn't accidental thing successful court, but she had written a connection that the justice work aloud. 

She said she was "profoundly sorry" she took the lives of 2 radical and injured her ain children.

"It has been 146 days for you each without Laura and Jamie and I deliberation astir this each day. Why did 2 individuals who did not bash thing incorrect beryllium the ones astir harmed by my actions? Why did they dice and not me?"

She said she wanted to plead blameworthy arsenic rapidly arsenic she could to prevention the household from going done a trial.

Outside court, household members gave a connection to media commemorating Laura and Jamie Hannah.

"Laura and Jamie were 2 radical afloat of beingness and that imaginable is gone," said Laura's sister Karen Seinen. "It's an unspeakable loss."

Family members wore shirts that said "coffee and gratitude" connected them.

"A fewer years ago, she [Laura] started sharing java and gratitude [posts] connected societal media," said Seinen.

"The shirts are a tribute to her and Jamie."

Judge's decision

At a tribunal quality successful January, Barry's lawyer Brian Pfefferle said Barry was going to plead blameworthy to unsafe driving causing death, but connected Friday, Barry alternatively pleaded blameworthy to drunk driving causing decease and drunk driving causing bodily harm.

The Crown and defence jointly recommended a six-year situation condemnation and seven-year driving prohibition. 

Judge Bruce Bauer accepted the associated submission.

"The quality of this offence is specified that the condemnation imposed indispensable deter others from committing these types of offences," said Bauer.

"Communities suffer acold excessively galore lives to those who portion and drive."