3 years behind bars for driver who killed 2 UBC students in 2021 campus crash

The man behind the wheel in a 2021 crash that left two UBC students dead has been sentenced to three years in prison and a five-year driving ban.

Tim Goerner, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving causing death in October. Tuesday’s sentence reflected a joint submission by Crown and defence lawyers on the case.

1:51 Heartbreaking victim impact statements at UBC dangerous driving sentencing hearing

An agreed statement of facts presented in court stated that Goerner had been drinking at a party in the early morning hours of Sept. 26, 2021, before he struck and killed Emily Selwood and Evan Smith, both 18 years old, who were walking on a sidewalk at UBC’s Point Grey campus.

The level of alcohol in his blood at the time was not presented in court.

Outside the Richmond Provincial Court on Tuesday, Smith’s mother Debbie O’Day-Smith said she remained unsatisfied that impaired driving charges against Goerner were dropped, and that he plead guilty to the lesser charges.

“Any apology outside of that is merely lip service. I feel the criminal legal system as it is skews too heavily towards the right of the accused, leaving the victims in the dust,” she said.

“After Tim Goerner’s sentence is complete and he gets on with his life, my beautiful son Eavn Smith will still be dead. That is our life sentence.”

The court previously heard that Goerner was travelling between 100 and 120 km/h in a 40 km/h zone on Marine Drive when his vehicle struck a pole, then a boulder and flipped onto the two students from behind.

2:12 Difficult day at UBC following death of two first-year students

Inside the courtroom on Monday, Goerner could be seen visibly crying as Selwood and Smith’s families read out emotional victim impact statements.

Goerner addressed the court Monday, saying he realized he will never truly understand the pain and anguish the families have experienced, and will continue to feel for the rest of their lives, adding he was filled with anguish and shame.

An Australian and German national who was an international student at UBC, Goerner is expected to be deported, though a timeline for that process is not clear.