Impaired driving guilty plea expected from Vernon woman in 2014 fatal crash

VERNON – A woman accused of impaired driving causing death is expected to plead guilty to the crime later this month.

Lori Victoria Vance, born in 1977, currently faces eight charges in relation to a car crash Oct. 23, 2014 that left one woman dead and another seriously injured.

Erin Race Smith, 33, and Lindsey Hauck, 31 at the time, were on a coffee break from Vernon Jubilee Hospital, where they worked as nurses, when their car was T-boned. Smith died at the scene, and Hauck was rushed to hospital.

READ: How co-workers are supporting a Vernon nurse still recovering from accident

Vance’s eight charges include impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death, impaired driving causing bodily harm and criminal negligence causing death. She originally elected for trial in Supreme Court before a judge, but recently re-elected for provincial court.

She’s expected to plead guilty Feb. 27 to one count of impaired driving causing death and one count of impaired driving causing bodily harm, according to Crown spokesperson Dan McLaughlin.

“We anticipate the other charges will be stayed at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing,” McLaughlin said in a written statement.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.