Charges against a man accused of killing two young women in a crash on the Trans-Canada Highway have been amended to include impairment by drug, alcohol or a combination of both.

Seventy-one-year-old Austin Deir of Mount Pearl faces four counts — two each of impaired driving causing death, and dangerous driving causing death.

He was charged on July 18th and his case was called in Clarenville provincial court this morning for the first time, where the changes were applied to the charges.

The devastating head-on collision occurred on the afternoon of Jan. 21 on the TCH near Arnold’s Cove, and took the lives of Haley Keating and Erin Pretty, who were both just 22 years old.

Pretty was pronounced dead at the scene; Keating died in hospital a week later.

Deir, meanwhile, was pulled from his burning SUV with serious injuries and, according to police, showed signs of impairment.

He remains free on conditions and was not in court this morning, nor was he required to be, with a designation filed allowing his lawyer to appear on his behalf for now.

Court was told almost a thousands pages of disclosure have already been passed on to the defence, with further lab results and a crash reconstruction report expected within 60 days.

The case will be called again on Nov. 29, with Judge Paul Noble expressing hope that election and possibly pleas will be entered at that time.