A Whitehorse man pleaded guilty to dangerous driving in Yukon Supreme Court on Monday, receiving a one-year conditional sentence for a New Year's snowmobile crash that resulted in the death of his brother-in-law.


Trevor Castagner, 40, must complete 75 hours of community service and refrain from drinking. He is also under a one-year driving ban and a 10 p.m. curfew for the first six months.

The accident, which killed Timothy Bierlmeier, his sister's husband and one of his best friends, occurred outside Castagner's Rainbow Road home in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2011.


Castagner said he had several drinks at a New Year's Eve dinner and returned home after midnight.

After receiving texts from friends inviting him to another party, he mounted his snowmobile and had two more beers that night.

Around 5 a.m., he drove Bierlmeier, 40, back to the house. As they pulled up to the residence, Castagner felt a sudden shift in weight, his lawyer said.


The imbalance, possibly prompted by Bierlmeier losing his footing, the defence said, caused the vehicle to roll.

His head struck a parked car in the process.

Emergency responders found Bierlmeier dead at the scene.


"This was a terrible accident, not a crime,” the men's family said in a brief statement several days after the incident.


Castagner was initially charged with impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death.

He pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving in a plea bargain.


"Trevor and Tim were the best of friends ... they were joined at the hip,” said Bierlmeier's widow Rochelle Bierlmeier.


She said the accident has taken taken a devastating emotional toll on her brother and both families.


Born and raised in Whitehorse, Castagner worked as a conservation officer in the territory before moving to Vancouver last year.


Castagner has no criminal record or history of questionable behaviour.