Man charged after rushing neighbour to hospital in emergency

Daren Dieter said he's been charged with dangerous driving and evading police after he rushed his neighbour to the hospital.

A Regina man said he’s been charged with dangerous driving and evading police after he rushed his neighbour to the hospital following an attack involving an axe.

As Global News previously reported, Steve Predinchuk was sleeping when four masked men allegedly broke into his home around 1:30 a.m. on May 3 and came into his bedroom. He said the four suspects were armed with various weapons.

One of the suspects hit him in the head with what he believes was an axe.

His neighbour, Daren Dieter, was sleeping on the couch and rushed him to the hospital.

Dieter admitted he was speeding and didn’t stop when police tried to pull him over.

“I was speeding. All I could think about was ‘get him to the hospital’,” said Dieter. “I got to the hospital and they charged me with dangerous driving and evading the police.”

“So be it. He’s alive.”

According to the Regina Police Service, the Traffic Safety Act doesn’t contain a provision regarding drivers disobeying the law in emergency situations and the rules are not necessarily black-and-white.

However, officers advise drivers to always stop if a police cruiser is attempting to pull them over.

“If you’re the driver of that vehicle, you’ll be distracted by the police car behind you and if you’re exceeding the speed limit, it’s just a recipe for disaster,” said Sgt. Ian Barr with the Regina Police Service. “It’s best to stop and explain to the officer what’s going on. We have radio and can get in touch with EMS immediately.”

“Our police officers are equipped with first-aid training and have a first-aid kit in the car, so if it’s a serious injury, we’re trained to have some temporary first-aid that we can give.”

Barr said in certain emergency situations officers can make a judgement call as to whether to charge someone or not for breaking the law.

Steve Predinchuk ended up having brain surgery after he was hit in the head during an alleged violent home invasion.