Burlington man charged after crash that killed couple near High Park

A Burlington, Ont. man has been charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death in connection with a crash near High Park last month that killed two people.

Toronto police previously said a 38-year-old man was driving a 2013 BMW 320i southbound on Parkside Drive at high speed on Oct. 12when he collided with a 2003 Toyota Matrix, which was waiting in traffic.

Valdemar Avila, 71, and Fatima Avila, 69, were inside the Matrix. Valdemar died at the scene, while Fatima died later in hospital.

The initial collision caused a chain reaction, with three other vehicles crashing into each other, investigators say.

On Friday, police announced that Artur Kotula had been arrested and charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death. He was slated to appear in court Friday.

Ashley Avila, the couple's daughter, said at a march last month that the death of her parents has been devastating, and called on the city to improve road conditions.

"Something needs to be done about Parkside Drive. The cars do come down here with quite a force," she said.

"I know they have been advocating for quite a long time. If somebody would have listened and answered some of their calls, this tragedy wouldn't have happened."