The driver responsible for the Northwest Marine Drive crash which killed two UBC students has been sentenced to three years in prison.
In the early morning of September 26, 2021, Evan Smith and Emily Selwood were struck and killed by a car while walking along a sidewalk behind c̓əsnaʔəm house in the Totem Park residence area.
Tim Carl Robert Goerner, a student at UBC, was driving between 100 km/h and 120 km/h in a 40 km/h zone.
At around 1:45 a.m., his car veered off the side of the road and fatally struck Smith and Selwood.
Following a year-long investigation into the crash, Goerner was charged by the University RCMP on two counts each of impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death and impaired driving, totalling six charges overall.
On October 24, Goerner pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing death.
Judge Glenn Lee agreed with the joint submission from both the Crown and the defence, sentencing Goerner to three years in prison, followed by a driving prohibition of five years.
Since 2021, the RCMP and BC Ministry of Transportation have implemented safety improvements to the stretch of NW Marine Drive where the accident took place, including a permanent speed-reader, upgraded streetlights and roadside delineators. But, some community members have called for more.
Students also erected a memorial for Smith and Selwood immediately after the 2021 crash.