Impaired driver ran stop signs doing double the speed limit in deadly collision, court hears

Jordyn Reimer, 24, was the designated driver the night she was killed in a collision with a driver who admitted in court he was impaired when he crashed into her vehicle.

Tyler Scott Goodman, 29, got behind the wheel of his 2019 Dodge Ram truck at around 2 a.m. on May 1, 2022 after drinking at a bar in Winnipeg's Transcona neighbourhood, Provincial Court of Manitoba Judge Kael McKenzie heard Monday as Goodman and his mother each pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the fatal crash.

Goodman drove northbound on Bond Street after leaving the bar with three passengers, Crown attorney Matt Armstrong told the court, reading from an agreed statement of facts.

His vehicle reached a speed of 116 km/h and he ran two stop signs before colliding at around 2:10 a.m. with the driver's side of Reimer's SUV as she drove west on Kildare Avenue while on her way to pick up a friend.

"At the moment of impact, Tyler Goodman was travelling 108 km/h," Armstrong told the court, citing a collision reconstruction report.  "Jordyn Reimer was travelling 52 km/h. The speed limit was 50 km/h."

Reimer suffered "catastrophic injuries." She was taken to hospital but died later that morning.

Goodman pleaded guilty Monday to impaired driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene.

Victim's mom 'outraged' by facts of case

For Reimer's mom, it brought mixed feelings.

"I was dreading having to go into a trial and hear all the sordid details," Karen Reimer said. "I was also sad and frustrated it took them a year to get to this point because it has really been so difficult on my family."

Reimer had three sisters and many friends who she played hockey with, her mom said.

"Just the senselessness of it has hit home for so many people," she said.

Court heard Goodman consumed nine or 10 drinks at the Joe's Pandora Inn bar the night of April 30. As the bar closed he and three friends bought a pack of 15 beers.

As they were about to leave, a woman who knew Goodman confronted him and asked where his keys were. Goodman said he said he didn't know, court heard.

Armstrong said the woman grabbed his jacket from a table and the keys were inside but one of Goodman's friends took the keys back, telling her not to worry and that he would drive because he was not as drunk.

"I'm outraged about that," Karen Reimer told CBC News on Tuesday.

After Goodman and his occupants left the bar, one resident saw the truck speed through a stop sign and estimated it was going 80 km/h, court heard.

The intersection where Goodman crashed into Reimer's vehicle is controlled by stop signs facing north and south.

"Witnesses observed Tyler Goodman drive through the stop sign.... They described the vehicle as travelling fast and revving its engine," Armstrong told the court.

Court heard the truck's occupants were confronted after the crash by bystanders who told them to remain at the scene. One of the occupants was heard saying "grab the beer," according to the agreed facts.

"They stood together in the back lane for a short period of time before departing on foot," Armstrong told the court. 

Reimer had to be extricated from her Jeep Compass by emergency personnel.

Her dad, Doug Reimer, described the facts as "sickening" and said while there's no sentence that will bring justice to his family, he's glad the truth about what happened has come out.

"I just want to see this done, sentenced, finished and that my daughters can hopefully try to move forward a little bit and try and get on with the proper grieving and healing," he said Tuesday.

Goodman's mom not truthful with police: Crown attorney

The driver's mom, Laurie Lynn Goodman, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice. 

Court heard Goodman contacted her after the crash and asked her to pick him up.  At 2:19 a.m., Laurie Goodman was captured on a neighbour's security camera leaving the home she shared with her son. 

When Laurie picked up her son, he didn't respond when she asked what happened.

They returned home at 2:30 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, Winnipeg police arrived, knocked on their door and phoned Laurie but no one answered.

Police returned to their home at 8:30 a.m., but again there was no answer, court heard.

It wasn't until later that morning Tyler told Laurie he'd been involved in a collision. She took her son to hospital and then to WPS headquarters where he was arrested.

Police asked Laurie when she first saw her son after the collision, court heard.

"She told the officers that she did not see him until the following morning," Armstrong told the court. "This was not true."

She was also asked what time he got home and she said she didn't know, according to the agreed facts. She declined to give a statement and left the police station, court heard.

Both Laurie and Tyler Goodman will be sentenced at a later date.