A pretrial date has been set for the man accused in the head-on collision death of Mikayla Ouellet.
Phillip Williamson, 34, is facing two criminal charges in relation to the Sept. 6, 2023 collision that killed the 26-year-old pregnant woman — dangerous operation and causing death by criminal negligence.
Williamson has not been tried on any of the counts and is considered innocent unless proven guilty. A publication ban is in place, preventing some details from being reported.
On Wednesday, a judicial pre-trial date was set for April 2 in the Sault Ste. Marie Courthouse.
Speaking generally, a judicial pre-trial is a closed door meeting between a justice, the defence and Crown in which final details are discussed to determine if the case will proceed to trial and, if it does, how much time will be required.
Ouellet's father, Denis, was among those who attended Wednesday's assignment court virtually
In a Dec. 5, 2023 interview, he said the incident was entirely avoidable and has affected thousands of lives.
Williamson was originally charged under the Highway Traffic Act with careless driving causing death which, if convicted, could have carried a fine of between $2,000 and $50,000, a prison term up to two years, and a licence suspension of up to five years.
On Dec. 4, 2024 Sault Police charged Williamson with the two criminal charges and the Highway Traffic Act charges were later dropped.
The penalties that go along with the criminal charge are much more serious. If found guilty of dangerous operation and causing death by criminal negligence, Williamson could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
On the day of the collision, Williamson was driving a Ford pickup truck, one of three vehicles involved in the collision that occurred around 11:20 a.m.
At the time, police said the initial investigation revealed the Ford pickup was eastbound on Wallace Terrace, east of Allens Side Road, when it crossed the centre line, striking a westbound delivery van and a westbound Chevrolet pick up.
Sault Police said the Ford pickup then left the roadway and rolled onto its passenger side. The driver of that pickup had to be extricated from the vehicle and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.