Alexandra Paul killed in car wreck

[FSWer]

Ok

 

[Sylvia]

The designs for the flower retrievers, as mentioned during the broadcast, were from Charlene Bailey (cb.) a Canadian designer based in the Toronto area: https://www.cbofficial.ca/
You may have seen the cb. appearing among the promotional ads during the Skate Canada Productions broadcast. I understand there was also a booth among those on the concourse.

From Skate Canada

https://twitter.com/x/status/1718689230678036987

Michelle Long (now competing occasionally as an adult skater) posted an Instagram story yesterday that credits her good friend Charlene Bailey -- here's a screenshot I shared today: https://twitter.com/SylviaUnseen/status/1719013820436226149

 

[jmtfti]

The Mariposa Dance account on Twitter also thanked her: https://twitter.com/mariposadancers/status/1718722963803967520

 

[Cant Skate]

I hate dredging this thread up, but the driver responsible was finally sentenced.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/barrie/article/transport-truck-driver-sentenced-in-horrific-crash-that-killed-olympian-young-mother/

 

[barbk]

The link wouldn't work for me, but this one did. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/crash-olympic-skater-alexandra-paul-sentencing-9.7198274

Such a sadness.

 

[genevieve]

I'm glad that the driver pleaded guilty, and I hope he is also able to come to terms with his actions. I know some will not be satisfied with the sentence, but I don't really think a lengthy sentence would provide anything positive. Revoking his license for 5 years over the sentence is more notable. It would be even better if this led to some reform in the trucking industry - 26 hours of work/16 of it driving had to affect his judgment.

May Paul's family find peace in this. Such a heartbreak.

 

[barbk]

I'm glad that the driver pleaded guilty, and I hope he is also able to come to terms with his actions. I know some will not be satisfied with the sentence, but I don't really think a lengthy sentence would provide anything positive. Revoking his license for 5 years over the sentence is more notable. It would be even better if this led to some reform in the trucking industry - 26 hours of work/16 of it driving had to affect his judgment.

May Paul's family find peace in this. Such a heartbreak.

A lengthier sentence would demonstrate that vehicular manslaughter is just as evil as any other kind of manslaughter.

I also see no reason why a guy who repeatedly got caught speeding and who killed someone with a vehicle ever deserves another drivers license. Can anyone believe that he's going to suddenly follow all the traffic laws he so blithely ignored previously? I do not.

 

[Excidra]

People have no idea how common it is for trucker drivers, especially new comers who are getting into the trucking industry, to be on the road for 15 plus hours without taking a break. In this case driving for 26 hours straight which resulted in the death of an innocent human. The sentence was not harsh enough to deter him from doing this again.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

People have no idea how common it is for trucker drivers, especially new comers who are getting into the trucking industry, to be on the road for 15 plus hours without taking a break. In this case driving for 26 hours straight which resulted in the death of an innocent human. The sentence was not harsh enough to deter him from doing this again.

Harsh punishment of a single driver is not going to make trucking safer. What is needed are heavy fines and jail time for the company managers that coerce/encourage truckers to drive recklessly in order to keep their jobs. This man's employers must have known he repeatedly broke regulations and laws yet they sent him out on the road anyway. Punish them too if you want real deterrence.

 

[Aceon6]

Harsh punishment of a single driver is not going to make trucking safer. What is needed are heavy fines and jail time for the company managers that coerce/encourage truckers to drive recklessly in order to keep their jobs. This man's employers must have known he repeatedly broke regulations and laws yet they sent him out on the road anyway. Punish them too if you want real deterrence.

In the US, the ICC has the technology and means to track but they rarely go after the shipping companies.

 

[barbk]

Harsh punishment of a single driver is not going to make trucking safer. What is needed are heavy fines and jail time for the company managers that coerce/encourage truckers to drive recklessly in order to keep their jobs. This man's employers must have known he repeatedly broke regulations and laws yet they sent him out on the road anyway. Punish them too if you want real deterrence.

No reason they can't do both. And, ultimately, it was the responsiblity of the driver to drive safely. He didn't, and not in a minor kind of way. We're just lucky he hadn't killed other people sooner given all his speeding.

Personally, I'm sad that neither Canada nor the US holds company management criminally responsible for their behavior.

 

[FSWer]

Well good...a driver that kills a cute famous Figure Skater or anyone for that matter should be in jail. It should never have happened!! She will be missed.

 

[Sylvia]

Since this thread has been bumped up (hard to believe 3 years have passed)... here's something positive - Pj Kwong chatted with Mitch Islam & his father David Islam for her Skate Ontario podcast (July 13, 2026): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfgUbbVoogw
ETA - After the 6-minute mark (Mitch had mentioned he took a full season off after skating for 7 years with his first partner, Joanna Lenko): "Things ended up working out very nicely with Miss Paul and we had about a 7-year run together as well with some pretty cool accolades along the way." Mitch also talked about how having a kid impacts his coaching after the 23-min. mark.

Good to see Mitch has been more active on Instagram lately - posting photos of his ice dance teams as well as his time in Japan co-choreographing a show with Kaitlyn Weaver: https://www.instagram.com/icedance_mariposa/