The highest court in the province has ordered a new trial for a man who had been acquitted of killing two people and seriously injuring two others while driving drunk.

Nicholas Villeneuve, now 25, was arrested after his truck collided with a car near Gander in 2019.

He was charged with eight counts including impaired driving causing death and impaired causing bodily harm.

But he was acquitted after the judge ruled his rights were violated in the immediate aftermath of the fiery, head-on collision.

The Crown appealed, and the ruling by three Court of Appeal justices was released earlier today.

Josh Whiteway and his mother, Michelle Blake, await start of Crown’s appeal of Nicholas Villeneuve’s acquittal on impaired driving causing death charges. ⁦@VOCMNEWS⁩ pic.twitter.com/Bnjv2Ipi3M

— Brian Callahan (@briancallahan67) May 12, 2022

It listed numerous instances where the trial judge wrongly excluded evidence and made “erroneous factual findings.”

John and Sandra Lush were in the front seats and died at the scene of the crash.

Their daughter and her boyfriend were in the back seats and suffered serious injuries.

No dates has been set for the new trial in provincial court.