Mount Pearl man charged following collision that killed 2 women

A Mount Pearl man has been chargedin connection with a highway crash that killed two 22-year-old women in January.

At a news conference Saturday, Newfoundland and Labrador RCMP saidAustin Deir, 71,faces two counts of impaired operation of avehicle causing death and two counts of dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death.

He's scheduled to appear in provincial court in Clarenville on Sept. 26.

RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland said charges against Deir were laid Thursday.

"We know that this case from the onset has been a high public interest and media interest. We felt that we wanted to get out and inform the public of the latest status, that fact that charges were laid in a pretty significant investigation," she said.

"We're certainly pleased that we've gotten to this point inthe investigation and now those charges, they lay before the court to determine the outcome."

Haley Keating and Erin Pretty were on a day trip to Clarenville when they collided with Deir'sSUVon the Trans-Canada Highway near Arnold's Cove on Jan. 21. Pretty died at the scene, while Keating diedin hospital a week later. Their deaths were mourned by communities across Trinity and Placentia Bay, where they were from.

Deir was pulled from his burning vehicle with serious injuriesand showed signs of impairment, according to police at the time.

In an unusual move, the RCMP, in a press release issued Feb. 21, said it had received results from a forensic analysis of a blood sample taken from Deir but didn't say whether he was impaired.

WATCH | RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland explains why it took 6 months to lay charges:

Charges laid against impaired driver in January head-on collision

2 months ago

Duration 0:59

A Mount Pearl man has been charged following a crash on the Trans-Canada Highway that killed two 22-year-old women in January. RCMP Cpl. Jolene Garland made the announcement at a news conference Saturday, adding that blood testing was only one piece of evidence in the investigation.

At the time, Garland pointed to the complexity of theinvestigations, which she reiterated Saturday.

"In this particular case, the blood results that were obtained some time ago were only one piece of evidence as part of the investigation," said Garland.

"Giventhe loss of life in this one, there was a higher expectation for answers immediately. Andwe have to follow our investigative steps to ensure that we have the evidence to pursue charges. When a sample of blood orblood is obtained as a result of an impaired driving investigation, we don't have those results immediately. We can't place charges until toxicology results come back."

Garland would not provide details on what Deir's blood-alcohol level was or what other evidence has been used to lay charges because the case is before the court.

Charges laid for impaired driving can includealcohol, drugs or a combination of both, she said, and it's not clear yet which applies in this case.

The families of Keating and Pretty were notified of the charges Friday, said Garland.

"There is nothing that we could say or do, or that anyone could say or do, that could fill that void of loss that would be felt by certainly the loved ones of these two deceased young women or their friends or even the community at large," she said.

"As one could expect, this sort of news would bringmixed emotions."

Garland said RCMP N.L. statisticsshow that between 2021 and 2023, an average of 350 drivers were charged with impaired driving offences each year.

"That's almost one a day here in our own province," she said. "That is an astonishing number."

"If you're the driver of a vehicle and you're driving while impaired and youtake somebody else's life, that's a life sentence in of itself. You have to live with that for the rest of your days. And it's not as if it's a dream and you wake up and it didn't happen. It did happen. You can't change it."

Download ourfree CBC News appto sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador.Click here to visit our landing page.