Criminal charges stayed after two Fort McMurray pedestrians killed

Charges of dangerous driving causing death have been stayed against a Fort McMurray man arrested at the scenelast summer where two pedestrians were run down and killed.

The 48-year-old man now faces one count of careless driving under the Traffic Safety Act.

The original Criminal Code charges were stayedin FortMcMurrayprovincial court on Wednesday.

Alberta Justice spokesperson DanLaville said Wednesdaythat police continued to investigate the fatalitiesafter the original charges were laid, and that work included finalizing an accident reconstruction report.

"On the basis of the new evidence,"Lavillesaid in an email, "the Crown determined the charges of dangerous driving causing death did not meet the prosecution standard of 'reasonable likelihood of conviction.' "

Neither the department nor the Crown would say what the new evidence was.

Defence lawyerLauren Garcia told the court her client will plead not guilty to the careless driving charge.

A trial datewill be set for later this year.

Hadi 'Dani' Eljamal, 56,and SanaElache, 52, were out for anevening walk in FortMcMurrayon Sept. 6, 2017, when they were struck by a SUV on Real Martin Drive.

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Eljamal was a father of three who moved to Canada from Lebanon in 2005. Elache was a wife and mother and was president of the Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo.

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Under law, the Crown has one year to recommence those stayed charges.

Follow David Thurton, CBC'sFort McMurraycorrespondent, onFacebookandTwitter, email him atdavid.thurton@cbc.ca