By Tim Petruk
Kamloops This Week
The driver of a speedboat that slammed into a houseboat on Shuswap Lake in 2010 was drinking beer and smoking marijuana before the crash, a judge has been told.
Leon Reinbrecht is on trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops, facing one count each of criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
Ken Brown was killed on July 3, 2010, when the houseboat he was piloting was struck head-on by a speedboat following a post-Canada Day fireworks display in Magna Bay.
Taking the witness stand yesterday (April 1) was Britney Sundberg, one of three people aboard Reinbrecht’s speedboat when the crash occurred.
Sundberg, now 21, was 16 at the time and involved in a romantic relationship with Reinbrecht’s son, Robert.
She said she met her boyfriend’s dad for the first time shortly before boarding his speedboat to take in the fireworks display.
Sundberg said Reinbrecht was on the beach with a beer in his hand when she first saw him.
“Shortly after that, we went on the boat because we were going to go on the lake and watch the fireworks,” she said, noting about six people were on the boat for the display.
“He gave me and Robert a six-pack of Palm Bays,” she said.
“Did you see anybody else consuming alcohol before you got on the boat?” Crown prosecutor Neil Flanagan asked.
“Everybody who got on the boat,” Sundberg replied.
She said the mood on the boat was joyous.
“We were drinking, socializing, laughing,” she said.
“We were enjoying ourselves. We were all having fun.”
Sundberg said Reinbrecht rolled a joint while watching the fireworks.
“He grabbed the bag that had scissors, paper and marijuana from the glove compartment in front of where he sat,” she said, explaining Reinbrecht shared the joint with her and his son.
After the fireworks, court heard, Reinbrecht returned to the shore and dropped off his girlfriend, his daughter and his daughter’s boyfriend.
“Everybody got off the boat except me, Leon and Robert,” Sundberg said.
“We went for a cruise on the lake.”
Sundberg said Reinbrecht continued drinking beer when they were back out on the lake.
“I don’t remember the exact amount, but it was a fair amount,” she said.
“Me, being 16 at the time, he was just fun.
“I was 16. He was fun. Now I look at it and I’m an idiot.”
Sundberg said the speed of the boat started to increase and Reinbrecht began making sudden turns.
“We were going at a fairly decent speed,” she said. “We were making turns left and right. We were going fast. It was crazy.”
According to Sundberg, her boyfriend had to hold onto her so she didn’t “fly out of the boat” while Reinbrecht sped across the lake.
“We started cruising, the speed increases,” she said. “We made a couple turns. He did a donut — just circles, three or four times, going faster.
“I remember the boat skipping back and forth and holding on to the boat.”
Court heard Reinbrecht was showing the effects of alcohol.
“He got more oblivious, he got louder,” Sundberg said. “Because he was drinking, he probably didn’t know his speed. He was just really loud.
“He was very up — like he had a lot of spunk, like he could run a marathon. He was just enjoying himself a lot.”
Sundberg said Reinbrecht was trying to get back to the campsite where his family was staying when the collision occurred.
“We were looking at the lights along the shore, trying to figure out where we were,” she said. “We were looking for the campsite. He [Reinbrecht] looked back at me and then we hit the boat.
“We were inside the houseboat and I was screaming. It was like hitting an invisible wall that was not there.”
Previous witnesses have testified the houseboat was dimly lit and difficult to make out in the dark of night.
“There was no lights,” Sundberg said. “The houseboat lights turned on a few moments after we crashed into the houseboat.”
After the collision, Sundberg said, Reinbrecht rinsed out his blood-filled mouth with a swig of beer.
“I realized I had glass sticking out of my head,” she said. “There was blood everywhere.
“I could feel it all over my hands, dripping down my face.”
Sundberg said Brown, the houseboat operator, somehow ended up in the speedboat.
“I remember Ken crawling towards us — trying to crawl,” she said. “At that point, there was nothing we could do for him. It looked to me like he had no legs. There was blood everywhere.”
A few days later, Sundberg said, Reinbrecht gave her and his son a ride from Kamloops to the Shuswap to pick up their vehicle.
“He said if we stick together, everything will be OK,” she said.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I was 16. I didn’t know anything.”
Previous witnesses have also said Brown had been drinking and smoking marijuana prior to the crash.
The Crown expects to wrap up its case by the middle of next week.