Emotional victim impact statement by young man in life-altering hit-and-run

The past four and a half years have been a nightmare for Tristan Roby, 23, of London, Ont., with no end in sight.

In July of 2019 while out on his bike, he was struck by a car driven by Jesse Bleck, who quickly took off without calling for help.

Last summer, the 30-year-old Bleck was found guilty of failing to remain at the scene of a crash causing bodily harm and driving while prohibited.

At Bleck’s sentencing hearing Thursday at the London courthouse, Roby, who suffered life-altering injuries, addressed the court in his victim impact statement, which was read by his mother Abby.

In it, he said, “I have no independence, I have no control over my body, I’m trapped in my body and have to rely on others.”

Roby's statement continued to say, “You basically killed me that day.”

In her victim impact statement, Roby's sister MacKenzie Azevedo said, “This whole ordeal has broken our family...he had a bright future and it was taken away from him in a flash.”

When Roby’s mother, Abby, gave her statement, she was tearful when she told Bleck, “My life also ended that day that you hit my son...[I] can’t even explain the pain or anguish, the gut-wrenching pain I feel everyday when I look at my son.”

The court heard that Bleck has a criminal record and has been unemployed for sometime.

With both sides still making legal arguments and submissions, Bleck is expected to be sentenced next month.

The Crown is asking Justice Kelly Tranquilli that Bleck serve a prison sentence of five years.