Hit and run motorist Darren Coupal was so drunk when arrested minutes after a fatal crash he had defecated in his pants, court heard today.
Crown prosecutor Paul Mason said cops approached Coupal at his Bridlewood home after the Calgary man had mowed down three people, killing one.
"They observed Coupal over the back fence and, as he had fled the scene of the accident and did not respond to the officers' presence, they entered the backyard," Mason said.
Along with his lack of response, Coupal showed other signs of impairment, the prosecutor said, including a fixed stare, bloodshot eyes, and a strong smell of alcohol.
"The accused had defecated in his pants," Mason added, reading from an agreed statement of facts signed by Coupal and his lawyer, Steve Wojick.
Coupal pleaded guilty to five charges in connection with the April 30, 2008, crash that killed Linda Davey and badly injured her disabled son and a family friend.
He admitted a charge of impaired driving causing death, two of impaired causing bodily harm, as well as fleeing the scene of an accident and driving while disqualified due to an earlier impaired conviction.
Mason said Coupal was seen staggering to a Dodge Durango as he left the Bull and Finch Pub on 162 Ave. S.W., a mere 1.1 km from his home.
A couple who saw him approach his vehicle, Monica and Gerry Bast, attempted to intervene, but Coupal drove away before they could stop him, the prosecutor said.
Instead, they followed Coupal, witnessing the horrific crash on Bridleridge Way S.W., which killed Davey, 39, and injured her wheelchair-bound son, Joshua, then 15, who suffers from cerebral palsy, and their neighbour, Fakhria Zadran.
Coupal lost control of his borrowed SUV on a curve, mounting a sidewalk and sheering off a bus stop sign before striking his victims.
"Coupal was aware that he had been involved in a collisions but, due to his high level of intoxication and a minor head injury suffered in the collision, he was unaware that pedestrians had been run over," Mason said.
At Wojick's request, Justice Beth Hughes ordered a pre-sentence report.
The most serious charge Coupal admitted is impaired driving causing death, which carries a maximum life sentence.
Coupal, who remains at liberty, returns to court Feb. 19.
KEVIN.MARTIN@SUNMEDIA.CA
