The Steep Price of Impaired Choices: Six Years for Fatal Alberta Crash

It's a story we hear far too often, yet it never loses its sting: a life irrevocably altered, a family torn apart, all because of the utterly preventable choice to get behind the wheel while impaired. This week, an Alberta man faced the music for just such a decision, receiving a six-year prison sentence for a horrific impaired driving collision that claimed one life and left two others with severe injuries.

Matthew Stanley Hrynkiw, 34, was handed down the significant sentence on Thursday, a solemn conclusion to a devastating incident that unfolded way back in August of 2022 near Vermilion, Alberta. Imagine, if you will, the serene expanse of Highway 16. On that fateful day, Hrynkiw’s truck veered across the center line, a horrifying deviation that led to a head-on collision with an SUV. Inside that SUV was Kevin Smeltzer, 50, his son Dallas Smeltzer, and another passenger, Tylan O'Hara. Kevin, a beloved figure, was tragically killed in the impact.

The court heard heart-wrenching accounts of the profound grief and lasting trauma inflicted upon the Smeltzer family. Kevin's wife and children spoke of a void that can never be filled, a future stolen in an instant. Dallas, Kevin’s son, suffered truly life-altering injuries in the crash, wounds that continue to impact his daily existence, a constant, painful reminder of that August day. Tylan O'Hara also sustained injuries, thankfully less severe, but no less impactful on his sense of safety and well-being.

Hrynkiw, it was revealed, had a dangerous cocktail of alcohol, benzodiazepines, and fentanyl in his system at the time of the collision. There’s really no mistaking the deadly combination. He later pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and two counts of impaired driving causing bodily harm, an admission of guilt that, while important, can never truly undo the damage.

Judge R.G. Cairns, in delivering the sentence, emphasized the critical need for both deterrence and denunciation, sending a clear message that such reckless actions carry severe consequences. Beyond the six years in federal prison, Hrynkiw was also slapped with a 10-year driving prohibition – a measure aimed at preventing any repeat offenses once he is released. It's worth noting, too, that he received credit for 454 days already spent in pre-trial custody, effectively reducing his remaining time behind bars by about 1.5 years.

This case, heartbreaking as it is, serves as a stark, unavoidable reminder of the devastating ripple effect that impaired driving has on individuals, families, and entire communities. It underscores the undeniable truth: every single time someone chooses to drive under the influence, they're not just risking their own life, but the lives and futures of innocent others. The message remains as vital as ever: don't drink and drive, don't drug and drive. It's just not worth it.