Woman, 25, faces life in prison for stopping on highway to rescue ducklings and causing crash that killed a father and his daughter

Emma Czornobaj, 25, faces life in prison

Andre Roy, 50, and his daughter Jessie, 16, died in 2010 after crashing into Czornobaj's car on a Canadian highway

The financial analyst parked her car on the road with the driver's door open and no hazard lights on



She said she wanted to catch the orphaned ducklings and take them home

Convicted: Emma Czornobaj, 25, faces life in prison after being found guilty of causing a crash which killed two people in 2010

A woman who parked her car on a highway to rescue ducklings has been found guilty of causing the deaths of a motorcyclist and his daughter who slammed into her vehicle.

Emma Czornobaj was convicted by a jury on Friday on two counts of criminal negligence causing death, a charge that carries a maximum life sentence, and two counts of dangerous driving causing death, which comes with a maximum of 14 years in jail.

The 25-year-old was charged in the deaths of Andre Roy, 50, and his daughter Jessie, 16.

She wiped away tears when the verdict was delivered to a packed courtroom in Montreal.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Eliane Perreault said the 12-member jury voted unanimously.

Czornobaj was released until her pre-sentence hearing on August 8.

Roy's motorcycle slammed into Czornobaj's Honda Civic after the woman stopped in the left lane of Highway 30 in Candiac, Quebec on June 27, 2010. Jessie was sitting on the back of her dad's Harley-Davidson.



Pauline Volikakis was riding her own motorbike behind her husband and daughter, and watched in horror as they were thrown into the air.



Volikakis briefly fought back tears when she left the courtroom.

'I don't wish misfortune on anyone,' the widow said. 'It's time that we go on. This will not bring (back) my loved ones.'

Heartbreaking: Pauline Volikakis' (left) husband Andre Roy, 50, and daughter Jessie, 16, both died in a Montreal highway crash in 2010

Still grieving: Pauline Volikakis, whose husband and daughter were killed in the collision, fought back tears when she left the courtroom

She said she hoped publicity of the case will reinforce a basic message to drivers.

'Future and present drivers should know that we don’t stop on highways, and it’s very dangerous. Even if it’s a small animal that we like or that we want to preserve, we should not stop on the highways,' she said. 'It’s not a place to stop.'



Czornobaj, a self-professed animal lover, told the court that she did not see the ducklings' mother anywhere and planned to capture them and take them home.



She had three years driving experience at the time of the accident.



National Post reported Czornobaj, who doesn't have a criminal record, was willing to plead guilty as recently as April but refused to do jail time.

Her lawyer Marc Labelle said his client was stunned by the jury's decision. He said he may appeal.



'So now we are at the sentencing stage in this case. The question we have to ask is that considering the nature of the facts, it is rare that we have criminal negligence where there are no bad elements,' Labelle said.

'This was not a race. This was not a person who took a chance and drove drunk. This is not about someone who was speeding and took a risky maneuver.'

During the trial, witness Martine Tessier testified that she noticed parked car didn't have its hazards on and that the driver's door was open.



She also said she saw Czornobaj motioning to some ducks on the side of the road.



'I shouted to my [three] children: ‘What is she doing there? She’s going to get killed',' Tessier said, according to National Post.



'I saw a body go over the car. It looked like a rag doll. I shouted to my daughter to call 911.'



Accident scene: Police said Emma Czornobaj stopped her car on Highway 30 in Candiac, Quebec (pictured) to rescue some ducklings on June 27, 2010 Written off: Emma Czornobaj's car after the crash on a Canadian highway in 2010 Scene: Emergency workers with the motorcycle Andre Roy and his daughter Jessie were riding when they crashed into a parked car on a Canadian highway in 2010

Prosecutor Annie-Claude Chasse had a message for motorists.

'What we hope is that a clear message is sent to society that we do not stop on the highway for animals. It's not worth it,' she said.

Czornobaj left the courthouse without commenting.