'Impairment by cannabis' a factor in fatal Mill Woods crash, police say

A 45-year-old man has been charged with drivingunder the influence of cannabis following a fatal collision between an SUV and a scooter in southeast Edmonton last September.

"Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that impairment by cannabis was a contributing factor to this collision," Edmonton police said in a news release Friday.

Rakesh Sidhuwas initially arrested at the sceneand taken to Edmonton Police Service'sSoutheast Division. He was evaluated bya drug-recognition expert andrequired to provide a urine sample.

"The drug-recognition expert felt that the person was impaired and impaired by cannabis-related drugs and a toxicology sample and toxicology demand was read," saidConst. BraydonLawrence of theEPS impaired driving unit.

"A sample was given and analyzed by the RCMP lab and it confirmed the presence of cannabis in the accused's body. After that the accused was arrested for driving causing death as well as dangerous driving causing death."

Sidhuwas arrested and charged on Wednesday. He was released pending acourt appearance on April 10.

Obtainingtoxicology results from the RCMP lab can take months, Lawrence said.

He said he doesn't recall any previous casein Edmonton where cannabis impairment was related to a charge ofimpaired driving causing death.

A 58-year-old woman was killed in the crash, whichhappened around 10 a.m. on Sept. 14.

• Woman, 58, dead after Mill Woods scooter crash

The victim was riding a Suzuki scooter southbound on Mill Woods Road when it was struck by a northbound GMC Terrain that had reportedly crossed the centre line.

The collision caused the scooter to skid north in the southbound lanes, sliding into a Toyota RAV4 travelling behind it.

The Terrain continued to travel north in the southbound lanes, striking a traffic sign and a power box on the west side of the road before coming to stop.

The scooter rider died at the scene. Sidhuand the 50-year-old driver of the RAV4 were unharmed.

At the time of the crash, Edmonton police did not have roadside screening devices for cannabis. For the last month, officers have been usingDrgerunits, whichtest the amount of THC insaliva,aspart of a pilot project that will continue until May.