Calgary

Drunk driving crash death criminal charges upgraded

Charges against a man accused in a fatal drunk driving crash have been upgraded.

New Year's Day head-on accident killed 20-year-old Calgary man

Francis Pesa died in an alleged drunk-driving crash on New Year's Day. (Kyle Bakx/CBC)

Charges against a man accused in a fatal drunk driving crash have been upgraded.

Francis Pesa, 20, died five days after his car was struck head-on by a truck on New Year’s Day on Metis Trail northeast.

A 36-year-old man is now charged with impaired driving causing death and causing death with a blood alcohol of more than 0.08, or 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

Hours before the accident, Pesa had arrived home from the Philippines where dozens of his relatives were killed in Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the country in November.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Pesa's car was initially charged with impaired driving causing injury.

Last month members of Pesa’s family spoke out, saying they hoped there would be justice for him.