A Vancouver man has been charged in connection with a single-vehicle collision that killed two UBC students.
Two 18-year-old university students, Emily Selwood and Evan Smith, were walking on a sidewalk near North West Marine Drive at approximately 1:46 a.m. on Sept. 26, 2021 when they were struck and killed.
Tim Carl Robert Goerner, 22, has been charged today (Sept. 8) with two counts each of impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death and impaired driving.
University and Richmond RCMP have worked on the investigation for nearly one full year to get to this point of charge approval, according to University RCMP Detachment Commander Staff-Sergeant Chuck Lan.
"Our 18-year-old son, whom we dropped off to UBC only three weeks earlier, was struck and killed by a vehicle while walking on the sidewalk just steps from his University residence," recalled Smith's family in a statement. "In that terrible moment, because of someone’s deliberate decision to drive after drinking, our son’s lifelong plans, dreams and goals will never be realized. This heinous act of selfishness and stupidity made our worst nightmare come true."
"She did not deserve to be the victim of such a senseless act," Selwood's family wrote in a statement. "Charges, court, and convictions of course do not tell the whole story, or the toll that impaired drivers take on victims and survivors. Emily was so much more than just a tragic statistic, and we want her to be remembered for what she accomplished in her short life."
Both families have asked for privacy.
