Photo: CTV/Chopper 9

A cyclist who fell several hundred metres behind two of his friends on the day they were hit and killed by a drunk driver says the accident scarred him for life.

Stewart Blaser told a B.C. Supreme Court sentencing hearing for Samuel Alec that when he recalls that day, "I want to curl up in a ball and cry."

The court heard an agreed statement of facts Monday that said Alec, 42, was driving home from a friend's funeral shortly before noon on Sunday, May 24, 2015, when he crossed the centre line and crashed head on with cyclists Kelly Blunden and Ross Chafe, who died instantly in the collision near Pemberton.

Paul Pierre Jr., a passenger in the vehicle, and a man Alec considered to be a brother, was also killed in the collision.

Blaser told the court that the images from that day will haunt him forever.

"I recall walking towards the accident scene to check on my friends and saw a body part and bicycle debris everywhere. It was so horrific that I had to turn back. It made me sick."

Alec's blood alcohol level was measured after the collision at about three times the legal limit, and numerous witnesses described him as visibly drunk and smelling of alcohol, the agreed statement of facts said.

Alec has more than 40 convictions on his criminal record, 22 of which are driving offences or relate in some way to the charges to which he's pleaded guilty, Crown attorney Grace Oh said.

The Crown has recommended Alec be sentenced to 12 years in prison, and that he be barred from driving for up to 18 years. He has been held in custody since August 2015.

Alec slowly twirled an eagle feather in his hand as tears ran down his face while he listened from the prisoner's box to victim impact statements from the friends and family of the three men killed.