Driver who killed two Edmonton seniors pleads responsible to impaired driving inflicting loss of life

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The Sherwood Park man who killed two Edmonton seniors in August of final 12 months after driving his automobile head-on into the motorcycle they have been using whereas almost 2 1/2 occasions over the authorized blood alcohol restrict has pleaded responsible to 2 counts of impaired driving inflicting loss of life.

Jim Macdonald, 68, and his spouse Annie Macdonald, 63, have been declared useless on the scene after the Aug. 15, 2022 collision alongside Freeway 628 south of Sherwood Park.

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Taylor Yaremchuk, 30, appeared in Edmonton Court docket of King’s Bench on Friday afternoon. He was wearing a black swimsuit and gave brief solutions to Justice Shaina Leonard’s questions earlier than bowing his head and shutting his eyes as an agreed assertion of info was learn in court docket.

In line with the assertion, Yaremchuk drank closely on the Belvedere Golf and Nation Membership on the morning of the collision.

Yaremchuk’s Kia Optima travelled simply over 9 kilometres earlier than it crossed the centre line and collided with the blue Indian Tremendous Chief bike, regardless of the Macdonalds’ efforts to keep away from the impression.

The bike grew to become airborne and caught hearth after crashing to the bottom.

One other motorist driving a truck behind the Kia then crashed into Yaremchuk’s automobile with sufficient power to roll the truck over.

A member of the Strathcona RCMP noticed Yaremchuk had the odor of liquor on his breath and had glassy eyes. He advised the officer he had “a few beers” on the golf course earlier than being arrested after blowing a ‘fail’ studying on a breathalyzer.

He was taken to the RCMP detachment the place he recorded a blood alcohol focus of 190 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood.

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In all Canadian provinces, the utmost authorized blood alcohol focus (BAC) for totally licensed drivers is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 mL of blood.

Examinations of the automobile confirmed the speedometer was caught at 90 km/h on the time of the crash — 10 km/h over the posted restrict — and that the Kia had in any other case been roadworthy.

A couple of dozen of Macdonald’s household and associates have been in court docket Friday, and have been acknowledged by Leonard.

“It’s a troublesome factor that’s taking place in the present day,” she stated.

They declined to talk to Postmedia afterwards.

Attorneys will meet later this month to find out a sentencing date.

Impaired driving inflicting loss of life comes with no minimal sentence and has a most sentence of life in jail.

At a celebration of life in August of final 12 months, the couple have been remembered as a loving, energetic couple who cared for one another and their household.

“It’s horrible that they handed collectively, however that’s how they all the time have been: collectively,” the couple’s daughter Breigh Cohen stated to Postmedia after establishing a roadside memorial days after the deadly collision.

“They have been all the things, and it’s mainly shattered all of our lives.”

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