Woman who stopped to help ducklings on highway is jailed for causing fatal crash
PUBLISHED : Friday, 19 December, 2014, 11:18am
UPDATED : Friday, 19 December, 2014, 11:18am
Associated Press in Montreal
Emma Czornobaj. Photo: AP
A Canadian woman who caused a fatal traffic accident after stopping her car to help ducks on a busy highway was sentenced to 90 days in prison and a 10-year driving ban.
Emma Czornobaj was convicted by a jury on two counts of criminal negligence for causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death. The 25-year-old was charged in the deaths of Andre Roy, 50, and his daughter Jessie, 16.
The sentence, handed down in Montreal, also prohibits her from driving for 10 years and stipulates she must do 240 hours of community service.
After Czornobaj stopped her car in June 2010 to rescue ducklings on the side of a Montreal highway, a motorcycle carrying the victims slammed into her vehicle.
Czornobaj’s lawyer, Marc Labelle, said he likely wouldn’t appeal the 90-day sentence. Her defence team argued she should only get the community service.
Pauline Volikakis, the wife and mother of the victims, said the family was hoping for a significant sentence and got it.
