A 29-year-old man from Cochrane is facing 14 charges after the vehicle he was allegedly driving killed four temporary foreign workers on the QEII Hwy. late Sunday night.

Tyler James Stevens has been charged with four counts of impaired driving causing death, one count of impaired driving causing bodily harm, four counts of failing to provide a breath sample, four counts of criminal negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle causing death and one count of criminal negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.

On March 4 at about 11:10 p.m., Innisfail fire rescue and EMS responded to a head on collision on the QEII Hwy. at the southern edge of Innisfail.

“The crash took place about 500 metres north of the Cottonwood Road overpass,” said RCMP Const. Doug Dewar. The southbound lanes were shut down for about three hours after the crash.

From witness accounts, a northbound Range Rover SUV was being driven in the southbound lanes and collided with a southbound automobile. Alcohol appears to be a factor. Four occupants of the southbound vehicle died as a result of the collision, while a fifth passenger was transported to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.

No names are being released, but the victims have been reported as being two men aged 35 and two women, aged 39 and 52. They were all reportedly temporary workers from the Philippines.

Stevens was transported to Red Deer Regional Hospital and treated. He refused to provide a breath sample. A bail hearing scheduled for Monday in Red Deer provincial court was adjourned. He was also expected to appear in court yesterday morning.

efawcett@reddeerexpress.com