DVM sentenced to jail for '04 traffic fatality

Ops Township, Ont. — A veterinarian was sentenced to two years in jail for causing a fatal car crash that left one man dead and another seriously injured.

The veterinarian tested positive for a drug commonly used during euthanasia.

Peterborough County veterinarian John Allen, 32, was driving a Peterborough Veterinary Services van in January 2004 when he collided with a van driven by Walter Carr, 54, who died at the scene, according to published reports. Carr's passenger was also seriously injured.

Witnesses to the crash reported Allen's van was swerving and crossed the center line, striking Carr's vehicle. When police arrived, they found a bottle of euthanasia solution and a syringe in the vehicle and later determined the drug was present in Allen's system.

Although he argued that the drug got into his system through a cut in his hand, Allen's claim was dismissed by a judge; he was later convicted of criminal negligence causing death and impaired driving causing death, although the second charge was conditionally stayed.

In addition to his prison sentence, Allen faces a four-year suspension of his driver's license, two years' probation and must complete 200 hours of community service upon his release.