Impaired driving charges laid after two UBC students struck and killed

Students Evan Smith and Emily Selwood were struck and killed near the University of British Columbia on September 26, 2021. (Courtesy BC RCMP)

A Vancouver man is facing charges following the tragic deaths of two 18-year-old UBC students last year.

Emily Selwood and Evan Smith were walking on campus along the sidewalk near North West Marine Drive around 1:45 am on September 26, 2021, when they were hit by a car.

University RCMP said that the driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old man, veered off the side of the road and hit the pair.

The pedestrians were pronounced dead at the scene.

Nearly a year into the investigation, 22-year-old Tim Carl Robert Goerner has been charged with two counts each of impaired driving causing death, dangerous driving causing death and impaired driving.

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In a statement, both families of the young students said they hope for a successful conviction against the suspect.

However, Selwood’s family described the next steps as “a lengthy and unfamiliar future.”

The Smith family added that whatever the outcome, “our hearts will forever be broken.”

“Charges, court, and convictions of course do not tell the whole story, or the toll that impaired drivers take on victims and survivors,” Laurie and Duncan Selwood said in a statement.

The Smith family is urging people to not drive while under the influence. Apart from being against the law, they said “loved ones will continue to die this way.”

“Emily Selwood was killed in a preventable tragedy”

Emily’s family describes her as a young woman who had a “capacity for compassion and exemplified kindness.”

“Emily was so much more than just a tragic statistic, and we want her to be remembered for what she accomplished in her short life,” Laurie and Duncan said.

The 18-year-old grew up on Vancouver Island but her family says her passion for service and interest in the social sciences led her to leave her hometown with dreams to study at UBC.

Courtesy RCMP

Over the course of her life she proved to have an adventurous spirit and spent time camping, hiking and being outdoors in nature with family and friends.

She was also an accomplished rower.

“She did not deserve to be the victim of such a senseless act,” Laurie and Duncan Selwood wrote. “Our daughter, Emily Selwood was killed in a preventable tragedy … Let us tell you that nothing prepares you for the notification of your child’s death, especially one that was so avoidable.”

Evan Smith “was in the prime of his youth when he was killed”

Just three weeks before the crash, Evan’s parents had dropped him off at UBC.

The news that he was walking on the sidewalk just steps from his university residence and was killed has shattered his family’s lives, his parents Debbie O’Day-Smith and Adam Smith said in a statement.

“In that terrible moment, because of someone’s deliberate decision to drive after drinking, our son’s lifelong plans, dreams and goals will never be realized. This heinous act of selfishness and stupidity made our worst nightmare come true,” Debbie and Adam said.

Courtesy RCMP

The teen, who is remembered as remarkable, was also an avid rock climber, camper, and paddler.

He spent time servicing the community in several ways and was an accomplished drummer.

The Mississauga, Ontario, resident was also an award-winning student with a passion for science, which led him to move and attend UBC for the Applied Science and Engineering program.

“For those that didn’t know him, know that an intelligent, conscientious, sincere and caring human being was in the prime of his youth when he was killed,” his family said.

A memorial fund at UBC in Emily and Evan’s names has been created.