A pair of young women who died in a triple-fatal collision in south Edmonton Friday are being remembered.
Emma MacArthur was one of two women in their early 20s who died in the crash.
In an email to Global News, her father wrote “Emma was kind, caring, respectful and a beautiful human being.”
“She was strong, resilient and very much protective of her younger brother,” Rod MacArthur continued.
MacArthur called the crash a “tragic accident” writing it has “permanently changed many lives.”
“We feel the pain and anguish of the other families suffering this terrible tragedy.”
Friends have confirmed to Global News that Georgia Donovan and Faisal Yousef, 32, also died in the collision.
MacArthur said the women were best friends for many years and that Emma “absolutely loved Georgia.”
Marty Melnychuk, who worked with Donovan at the Commercial Hotel on Whyte Avenue, told Global News he considered her one of his closest friends.
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“Our community is in shock as (Donovan) is the sweetest — always laughing, smiling, honour student and loved by everyone,” Melnychuk said. “Not only did I lose one of the best in the industry, I lost my best friend.
“When I say Georgia was the best person, that would be a huge understatement. They don’t come as perfect as Georgia.”
In a public Facebook post, Melnychuk also said Donovan had just been promoted to a managerial role at the Commercial.
“The term heaven just received two angels is a understatement,” his post said.
“(Donovan and Macarthur were) the nicest and best people I’ve ever met.”
Donovan, Macarthur and Yousef all died when the Audi RS5 sedan they were passengers in crashed into a Starbucks off Calgary Trail just after 2 a.m. Friday.
The driver, a 25-year-old man from Ontario, wasn’t at the scene when police arrived but was arrested later at his residence. Police took him to hospital with serious injuries.
On Saturday, police said they had charged Oscar Benjumea with three counts of dangerous driving causing death, three counts of failure to stop at the scene of an accident and one count of operation of a vehicle while disqualified.
Benjumea is set to appear at a bail hearing on July 6.
Police said they believe “excessive speed was involved” in the collision.
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