Driver in Canada crash sentenced to prison

• Tweet

GRAND PRAIRIE, Alberta, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A judge in Canada sentenced Brendon Holubowich, 23, to three years in prison for causing the death of four football players during a crash, officials said.

Holubowich was driving a pickup truck in October of 2011 when he hit a car carrying five members of the Grande Prairie Composite High School Warriors football team, Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

At the time of impact, he was reportedly traveling at 74 mph.

Holubowich was sentenced Wednesday on four counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of dangerous driving causing injury, CBC said.

The families of the victims said they were very disappointed with the sentence.

"He goes for three years -- quite likely on parole in eight months to a year. It's not right," said Leon Deller, father of Matthew Deller, 16, who died along with Vincent Stover, 16, Walter Borden-Wilkins, 15, and Tanner Hildebrand, 15.

Holubowich's mother, Teresa Bateman, read a statement to reporters following the sentencing and apologized to the victims' families.

"We cannot imagine the loss or grief you've experienced," she said. "This tragedy can never be reversed and for this we are sorry."