We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A QUEBEC WOMAN who stopped to help ducklings cross a busy highway was found guilty of causing the deaths of two motorcyclists who crashed into the rear of her car.
A jury found Emma Czornobaj, 25, guilty of two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death.
She faces up to life in prison when she returns to court in August for sentencing.
Czornobaj had stopped her car in the left lane of a highway south of Montreal in June 2010, the court heard.
She was trying to round up a gaggle of ducklings that had been wandering in and out of traffic when an unsuspecting 50-year-old motorcyclist slammed into her car at more than 105 kilometres per hour.
Both the motorcyclist and his passenger, his 16-year-old daughter, died in the collision.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
That’s even more idiotic than the people who break to a stop on a main road to leave someone out of a side road. People really need to learn not to stop on a main road!!
strangely in europe you must give priority to cars coming from the right. . even from a side road to a main road. .. They don’t even have to look or stop before going onto the main road. . and even if they do they still have right of way… admittedly these crossings are signposted. .. But it’s a ridiculous rule…
I think that a life sentence may be a little harsh here. Its not like she was drunk and probably did what most of us would instinctivly do. I know you are supposed to keep going when an animal bolts onto the road but it takes a cold heart not to at least try to avoid them.I do of course feel sorry for the bikers involved.
She didn’t try avoid them, she stopped her car in the overtaking lane, got out, and wandered around the road chasing ducks.
The correct thing to do either carry on driving and call the motorway service or if you are still intent on doing something immediately- pull over in the hard shoulder and be careful.
So what was the biker doing that he couldn’t stop in time for a stationary car? Driving without due care and attention? Im not saying that the car was not at some fault but if she did not break suddenly and was at a complete stop when they hit her it does suggest that was not paying attention.
I’d that had happened in ireland the motorcyclist would be at fault for not allowing a safe distance to stop
#tyresandtarmac
Biker wasn’t paying attention because he was distracted by some made women chasing ducks on the motorway Paddy.
Left-hand lane…Canada..that would be the slow lane..They drive on the left there…
Canadians drive on the right, left lane is overtaking lane.
Not saying she wasn’t stupid for stopping, but the motorcyclists were totally at fault for running into a stationary object which could just as easily have been a crashed or broken down car etc..
Dain please tell me you don’t drive here in Ireland if so, do you know left from right, we drive on the left our cars are right hand drive hence the driver position in on the right and the passenger on the left closer to the kerb!
Left hand lane is the passing lane on highways in countries where they drive on the right hand side with the drivers position on the left of the vehicle – get it ?
It was a really really stupid thing to do. Rounding up ducklings on a busy highway/dual carriageway ? Dumb, Dumb Dumb. The indecent could have happened on a bend, 105KPH = 60 mph, not that fast on a dual carriageway, where, when and what not mentioned . Suburban road maybe but that is not what the journal published. Trying to get you all going. Shame is, they have, look below, it’s their fault, it’s the ducks fault, it;s the road, it;s……………………………….if it was your brother, son, father, uncle, grandfather, sister, niece, ………………………etc.etc. out for a spin and a gaggle of ducks/woman…………………………………………….death! How would you or your family feel reading this article or the comments below?
How the hell is this her fault?
Stopped in the middle of the motorway, fast lane, without hazards, for no good reason. That’s negligent. Two people died. How the hell was it NOT her fault?
Is it that the left is the fast lane in Canada?
Both were at fault. Both were driving dangerously, but unfortunately the bikers had to suffer the consequences.
No, it is the right hand lane which is the fast lane
As they drive on the right in Canada the left lane on a two, or more, lane highway is the overtaking (“fast”) lane.
Maybe the driver should have been looking where he was going
How are people not getting the Right Left thing, Canadians drive on the Right side of the Rd, the overtake lane is on the left, i.e the lane against the barrier, away from the Highway exits.
Stopping the car in the overtake lane is shockingly negligent, I appreciate her intentions were noble, it was more stupid that criminal, but two people died; that can’t go unpunished.
A life sentence whoever is very harsh, she was a 25 year old girl who will have to live with the consequences for the rest of her life.
Thats so sad feel sorry for all involved i would probably break if i saw any animal. Once saw a bmw hit dog and carried on like nothing was heart breaking
BMW’s are awful for that alright, bloody no respect for animals them cars!
Are the ducks okay?
Dylan you need to think about the woman who lost her husband and daughter then feel free to get your coat. What a child you are!
If your too stupid to realise stopping in overtaking lane to chase ducks in road you shouldn’t be driving.
And we have “experts” on this site who don’t even know their left from right.
There’s only one road user who we are all guilty of having absolutely no regard for.
And that’s the road user behind us.
The Woman driver was with the birds…
There was a law long ago that stated you had to give way to web footed animals, I wonder if that law is still on the books ,
Once a law is introduced it is very difficult to remove.
Really ? In Ireland or Canada. at least back up random statements with some form of evidence and not just type whatever nonsense comes in your head.
And for all the numptys on about rear ending , only in Ireland / uk is this a gimme in court. America , Canada and Russia can deem either party at fault or apportion blame between the parties.
The woman in question is a fool. Regardless of the accident she should be the one to die for acting in such a blatantly stupid way.
Anybody that disagrees with this judgement seriously lacks any cop on.
Read the actual story from there and not just a few lines of a mention here.
It didn’t actually become law. It never made it past the bill stage.
John O Conner
That was a nasty response,
Ok I made a mistake in typing those lines , I should have said ‘ I BELEVE the re was a law long ago , that you had to give way to web footed Animals’
I also BELEVE the only time a person can urinate in public is when in charge of Animals,
John nothing random about that, there a list of weird and wonderful laws still on the books .
I was not making any judgement on the rights and wrongs of what that women did.
So please control that rage , do you do the same on the road ?
If this happened in Ireland the motorcyclist would have been at fault since they rear ended the car.
The Irish law is “be prepared to stop”
If I’m going 100 km/h on a dual carriageway and some drunk runs out in front of me and i kill him, it’s 100% my fault, ridiculous law
Thats not true. I’m unlucky enough to know two people who have hit and killed a drunk person on the road and neither were charged.
Lads wouldnt have been at fault had it happened here,if you stop and somebody hits into the back of you then it’s your fault, the circumstances don’t matter
Two lads on a motorcycle versus a young woman
Woman would always win
Fair play to Canada for getting it correct, RIP
Lads would have been*
Have some respect Karen, 2 people lost their lives and another has had her life ruined by a silly choice she made.
Jokes or an attempt at a joke is classless
They died because they were not paying attention to an idiot who stopped on the motorway for an insufficient reason.
I must admit I did stop in the hard shoulder of a Canadian highway from banff to Vancouver, to get a close up view of a grizzly. Mind you, a bus of tourists stopped ahead of me too…
Any word on the duckz??
I remember when I was behind a car on the fast lane and they decided to stop and turn right on a double white continuous line .. Oblivious of the screech marks and @#’~@ !!
While we are on the subject of North American freeways, the lanes are numbered from Lane #1 to n (n is the total # lanes in the direction of travel.) (Lane 0 is the central median) .. so yes if you stop for no valid reason in Lane 7 on the I405 Southbound through Los Angeles, you will be in a world of trouble, if not dead.
Take down the duck sign. “Obeying” the sign was a contributory factor.
have your say