You hear about the white girl who did a hit and run, killed a guy and only got hit with 12 months house arrest?
just read that story
When Alexandra Forrestall received a text from her mother including details about a father-of-three who was the victim of a hit-and-run one morning, Forrestall replied implying shock that someone left him in the street to die alone.
In reality, it was she who committed the act.
Forrestall, 26, further concocted a phoney story about her SUV being damaged in a parking lot and then spread the lie to her parents, her insurance company and the police.
Despite citing the "depravity" of her actions in his sentencing, Justice Edward Prutschi said Forrestall should not go to jail, in part due to her asthma diagnosis and the possible spread of COVID-19 in jails.
Instead, for her crime of failing to stop at the scene of a crash that caused death, Forrestall was sentenced to house arrest at her Markham home for 12 months, two-year’s probation and a three-year driving ban.
"I have agonized over the construction of a fit and just sentence," he told those listening through the Zoom call. "This sentence will likely attract criticism from all quarters. It will undoubtedly be viewed as too lenient for those who are … shattered, broken and angry."
The sentence might also be viewed as too strict or lengthy by others, he added.
The collision took place on the morning of June 15, 2020, while Forrestall drove along Carleton Road, in Unionville.
She hit the unsuspecting cyclist and Markham father-of-three, Safet Tairoski, from behind.
Following the crash, she admitted to looking in the rear-view mirror and believing he was dead, before driving off.
Once at a Tim Hortons at Hwy. 48 and Aurora Road, she created a story involving her Toyota 4Runner being struck by a wayward truck.
Forrestall then went to work and carried on with the lies, telling her insurance company and the police about the fake incident.
It was only when met by York Regional Police officers at the body shop the following day that she admitted she was the guilty party.
Prutschi explained the words of Tairoski’s widow, Anna, "touched him deeply".
In her victim impact statement, she suggested even if Forrestall could not have saved her husband’s life, it would have at least been nice to know she was beside him as he died.
"(Anna) is clearly haunted by the questions of 'what if'," he said. "What if Ms Forrestall had stopped and attempted first aid? What if Ms Forrestall had simply called 911? What if Ms. Forrestall had just been there to hold his hand and look in his eyes, providing some measure of human contact in his last moments?"
Prutschi went on to explain the aggravating circumstances, including Tairoski’s loss of life and the extent and length of Forrestall’s fabrication, her three speeding tickets between 2017 and 2019, and the fact that police were not able to fully investigate the incident — including conducting tests on Forrestall’s blood to see if she had any alcohol in her system at the time of the collision.
There were also mitigating circumstances.
Forrestall pleaded guilty at an early juncture, she spent years in education for early childhood education, has engaged in philanthropic endeavors and showed remorse.
"I wish I could trade places with him," she said to the family during her statement before being convicted in January 2021.
Prutschi also cited mental health issues involving suicidal ideations, anxiety, depression and what a psychologist called a "borderline personality disorder".
In light of the conviction, Forrestall is now expected to have her licence to teach young children revoked by the Canadian College of Educators.
In his sentencing, Prutschi said he considered her doctor’s note to the court that suggested she suffers from asthma and needs physical distancing, something Prutschi said was "largely impossible" in jail.
As part of her sentence, she will have to be inside her home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Woman who killed Markham father-of-3 with vehicle escapes jail time
