BC man given 6 years in jail, 35-year driving prohibition for collision that killed 7-year-old son

A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in jail for a 2021 collision on Vancouver Island that killed a 7-year-old child.

On Oct. 24, 2024, Matthew Darlington entered a guilty plea to operating a vehicle with methamphetamine in his blood causing death.

The fatal collision took place on Sept. 7, 2021 at about 2 am.

According to court records, Darlington and his family were returning to Vancouver Island by ferry from Vancouver on Sept. 6, 2021.

Darlington had ingested methamphetamine at about 7 pm, and smoked cannabis after arriving on Vancouver Island at about 11pm.

Shortly before 2 am on Sept. 7, 2021, their vehicle, A black Chevrolet Cavalier, left the highway near Sooke and hit a tree.

Darlington had been driving the vehicle with his wife in the passenger seat and their three children, ages seven, eight and 10 in the backseat.

In court, Darlington said he had no memory of the crash, and was likely unconscious at the time. He admitted that his ability to drive was impaired due to drugs.

When the Sooke RCMP responded they found multiple people seriously injured at the scene.

The seven year-old son died of his injuries in hospital at 6:40 am on Sept. 7, 2021. The rest of the family were hospitalized with serious injuries.

Notably, court records show that Darlington has had a lengthy history of convictions for violence, threats of violence and driving while prohibited.

Eight months after the tragic collision, he was convicted of driving while prohibited. He was again convicted of driving without a license on March 2, 2022.

The Crown sought a six year sentence, and a 15-year driving prohibition. However, the judge found that to be “insufficient” due to the risk to public safety posed by Darlington.

As a result, he was given a 35-year driving prohibition on top of his six year incarceration and an order stating he must provide a DNA sample.

“His disobedience of past driving prohibitions demonstrates that he will probably continue to drive, no matter what order I make,” wrote the judge in the decision. “His lengthy and serious driving history demonstrates that, when driving, he puts others at constant risk.”

“Mr. Darlington should never again drive a motor vehicle.”