Emma Czornobaj has been sentenced to 90 days in jail, to be served on weekends, for criminal negligence and dangerous driving causing the deaths of two people.

She will also have to perform 240 hours of community service, and will be on probation for three years.

Czornobaj is also prohibited from driving for ten years.

The deadly collision

On June 27, 2010, Czornobaj parked her car in the left-hand lane of Highway 30 in Candiac, south of Montreal, in a misguided attempt to herd a group of ducks into her vehicle.

Seconds later several drivers, distracted by seeing Czornobaj waving her arms on the median, narrowly missed slamming into her car.

Motorcyclists Andre Roy and his wife Pauline Volikakis were unable to avoid a collision and slammed into the parked car.

Roy died at the scene and his passenger, his daughter Jessie, was pinned under the car. She died in hospital.

Volikakis suffered serious injuries, but was able to crawl to her husband and hold him before he died in her arms.

Public opinion is off-base

While delivering her sentence, Justice Eliane Perreault acknowledged that a vocal portion of the public did not want to see Czornobaj go to jail, but pointed out those people failed to recognize that a crime had been committed.

Perreault criticized Czornobaj for still failing to recognize the serious consequences of coming to a dead stop in the passing lane of a highway immediately after a curve in the road.

She said Czornobaj still blames the riders for their own deaths, instead of acknowledging that if Czornobaj had not chosen to park, Roy father and daughter would still be alive.

The judge also noted that Roy and Volikakis were travelling above the speed limit, but agreed that police normally allowed traffic to proceed at that speed on Highway 30.

During her trial Czornobaj said that knowing the effect of her actions, she would never repeat them.

"I just wanted to pick all these ducklings up and put them in my car," Czornobaj testified. "I know it was a mistake."

Family grateful

During the trial Volikakis testified how her husband was distracted by Czornobaj walking on the highway and median.

When the verdict was delivered she spoke in court about her loss and accused Czornobaj of lacking remorse.

Volikakis feels the sentence is appropriate and will help her family heal.

"We, the family, were only hoping for a significant sentence. We got this," said Volkakis, while struggling with emotion.

"The sentence won't put a balm on our lives, but it will help us to go through our lives with a positive attitude and not a negative attitude."

Czornobaj will appeal

Czornobaj was convicted in June of this year, and during sentencing arguments the Crown asked that she spend nine months in jail.

Czornobaj's defence lawyer asked that she spend 240 hours doing community service, and filed an appeal of the conviction in July.

At the time Marc Labelle said he believed the conviction for criminal negligence was unreasonable given Czornobaj never had any criminal intent.

However following the sentencing, Labelle said the 90-day sentence was reasonable.

"It seems to me it is a fit and reasonable sentence although we will ask the court of appeal to look into the driving prohibition for ten years," said Labelle.

Labelle also said that Czornobaj was remorseful, but lacked the ability to express her feelings.

"This young lady is not a person used to the public," said Labelle.

"Although she does have remorse and does deeply regret what happened, she was not able to verbalize it properly."

However Labelle said that even if Czornobaj was better able to express herself, it would not have changed the sentence.

Czornobaj is supposed to begin serving her sentence on Jan. 10, 2015, but that date may change pending an appeal.

Her driving ban began immediately, as she handed her licence to the court clerk on Thursday morning.