Man pleads not guilty to charges stemming from 2024 crash near Albany, P.E.I. [Video]

A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to the five charges he faces in Summerside Supreme Court, including two counts of impaired driving causing death.

The charges stem from a single-vehicle crash in Albany in August 2024 that left two young people dead. Dona Shaji, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene, while 24-year-old Jugal Kishore Mehta later died of his injuries.

RCMP told CBC News the vehicle was coming from Charlottetown when its driver lost control in the early hours of that morning — leaving the roadway and flipping over.

In February, Thommachen Thomas Panackal elected for his case to be heard before a judge in P.E.I.’s higher court. 

His case made a first appearance in that court in March. He entered the not-guilty pleas at another appearance earlier this month. 

Panackal is facing five charges in total: two counts of impaired driving causing death, two counts of driving with over 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood causing death, and one count of driving …