Emma Czornobaj guilty in 2 highway deaths after stopping for ducks

A woman who stopped to help a group of ducklings on the side of the road in 2010 has been found guilty of causing the deaths of a motorcyclist and his passenger daughter who slammed into her parked car on a Montreal-area highway.

Emma Czornobaj was convicted Friday on two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death.

Czornobaj, 25, was charged after Andre Roy, 50, and his daughter, Jessie, 16, were killed.

Roy's motorcycle slammed into Czornobaj's car, which was stopped in the left lane of a provincial highway in Candiac, south of Montreal.

His daughter was riding on the back of the motorcycle when the collision happened on June 27, 2010.

• Quebec motorist accused in two deaths said she was helping ducks

Pauline Volikakis, the wife and mother of the two victims, was in court to hear the verdict. 

She was following her family on her own motorcycle when the collision occurred. She was driving more slowly and managed to avoid injury.

"My feelings are that it is time that we go on. This will not bring back my loved ones," she said.

A provincial police officer testified at the trial that Roy, whose speed was estimated to be from 113 km/h to 129 km/h when he applied his brakes, collided with Czornobaj's car at between 105 km/h and 121 km/h.

The jury was told the speed was higher than the prescribed 90 km/h limit on the road.

The trial heard that Czornobaj, who had three years of driving experience at the time, had stopped to rescue ducklings on the side of the road.

The professed animal lover told the court that she did not see the ducklings' mother anywhere and planned to capture them and take them home.

Czornobaj's lawyer said the defence will be pushing for no jail time because of the lack of criminal intent.