Parents of WolfPack players involved in deadly crash pursuing review of charge recommendation

KAMLOOPS — Friday (Nov. 29) will be one-year since a fatal car crash near McGill Road and University Drive, which killed WolfPack volleyball player Owyn McInnis and seriously injured his teammates, Riley Brinnen and Owen Waterhouse.

This week, it was revealed that traffic charges have been laid against the driver of the truck involved in the crash, 29-year-old Colval Abbinett. Approved charges include driving without due care and attention and driving without reasonable considerations for others using the highway.

But families affected by the crash want to have the case reviewed to pursue charges under the Criminal Code.

“It’s a fine. It’s a potential license suspension. It’s embarrassing,” says Chris Brinnen, who is the father of Riley Brinnen and is also a retired RCMP officer.

He and other parents of the players involved in the serious crash last year were told on Monday (Nov. 27) that the person behind the wheel of the truck that caused the event would be charged under the Motor Vehicle Act, not the Criminal Code.

For Chris Brinnen, frustration would be putting it lightly. The family was confident in the RCMP’s level of investigative work and evidence gathering, and says the charge outcome was shocking.

“The police, they took a year to make sure everything was covered, every dot, every ‘t’ crossed. And in the span of an extremely short period of time, that one-year investigation was reviewed and reduced to (this).”

Now, the families of the players involved are looking into whether the case can be revisited by the BC Prosecution Service. Their plan is to advocate to have the file reviewed.

“At the very least, if we can’t get the file reviewed and charges changed or whatever — which we have found some cases where that has happened in B.C. before — we are looking to make sure that the driver gets the maximum penalties possible under the Motor Vehicle Act charges that have been laid,” explains Karri Brinnen, Riley’s step-parent.

Erin Walter’s son, Owyn McInnis, lost his life that day.

“I don’t get my son back. I can’t hug him ever again,” she reiterates. “The last day I hugged him was yesterday, last year.”

Walter feels the current charges don’t reflect the severity of what happened.

“This sits with the teammates. We have to show the rest of these boys that we’re not settling,” Walter told CFJC Today. “I just can’t close the door and go, ‘Oh, you just got a slap on the wrist.’ Which it feels like. It honestly feels like a slap on the wrist.”

The traffic offence has also raised concerns around what recourse the families will have when it comes to BC’s no-fault insurance system.

“Justice. I’ve learned that justice is defined differently for me now,” Walter notes. “It may not be what I hoped for. But it made me a big advocate to make sure that these other boys and these other families, make sure that they feel that everything was done, as well.”

The families are adamant it’s not about going after the driver, but making sure the young men impacted by the crash are provided with a better outcome out of a worst-case scenario.

“Monday morning was not good,” Chris Brinnen adds, “so we can’t just sit back. We don’t expect Riley and Owen to pick this fight. They have healing they have to do. They still have lots of recovery and that’s what they need to focus on. This is our job as parents.”