Sarnia weightlifter sentenced to 90 days in jail for hit-and-run

A 21-year old weightlifting champion has pleaded guilty to his role in a hit-and-run last year and has been sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Boady Santavy pleaded guilty Tuesday to the provincial offence of leaving the scene of an accident in a Sarnia courtroom.

In addition to his jail term, he will be on probation for a year after his release and will be prohibited from driving for a year.

The collision happened March 2018, and Nicolas Emmerson Andali was left with serious injuries.

Andali's mother read a victim impact statement during court proceedings Tuesday, said Patrick Ducharme, Santavy's lawyer.

"It made reference to the fact that he was in serious condition for a long time. They didn't even know if he was going to make it originally," said Ducharme.

"They thought he had severe brain damage. He is recovering somewhat but not totally. He still has problems with his vision."

Ducharme said Santavy apologized to the victim during court.

According to Ducharme, Santavy likely "panicked and didn't know what to do" when he struck Andali following a function they were both attending in Sarnia.

Ducharme said he urged Santavy to turn himself in, which he did the following day.

A criminal charge of leaving the scene of an accident was dropped so that means Santavy will still be able to compete in weightlifting competitions.

Santavy took a silver medal at last year's Commonwealth Games and has his eyes set on the summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020.