An Ottawa couple with three young daughters were having a night out on the town Thursday when they were mowed down by a speeding car as they stood waiting for a bus.

Leo Paul Regnier, 35, was killed and his wife, Sherry, remains in hospital in critical condition.

A 20-year-old man, who had hopes of becoming an RCMP officer, faces several charges in connection with the horrific crash, including dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and bodily harm, criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm and stunt racing.

Simon Banke also faces charges under new legislation requiring young drivers to be alcohol-free when they get behind the wheel.

He is to appear in court Saturday morning.

According to court records, Banke was previously fined for speeding on Bank Street south of Rosabella Avenue.

News of Regnier's death made it to Cornwall, where most of his family lives, early Friday morning.

Regnier's twin sister was awakened by a knock at the door at 5:30 a.m. Two hours later, the family gathered at the home of the victim's step-sister, Karen Regnier.

Three of Regnier's siblings in Cornwall then left for Ottawa. By Friday afternoon, relatives from Sarnia, Owen Sound, Cornwall, Kitchener and Kingston began to make their way to Ottawa.

So far none of them have been allowed to see Sherry, who remains in critical condition.

"We're all still waiting. It's just a waiting game. We don't even know what's happening right now," Karen Regnier said.

Leo Paul Regnier has worked with Transport Canada as a programmer/analyst for 10 years.

The department issued a statement Friday, describing Regnier as a man with a "good humour, amiable nature, strong work ethic, and excellent skills." Stephanie Lachman, who used to worked with him at Transport Canada, said Regnier was "teddy bear of a guy" and always wore a hockey jersey.

Another colleague, Daniel Pratte, said Regnier was always making people laugh in the office.

"When they say it's always the best ones who leave first, he is the perfect example," he said.

Regnier's colleagues were given access to a counsellor Friday morning.

The crash occurred around 10:30 p.m. as the couple and a friend waited for the No. 87 bus at a temporary OC Transpo stop on Albert between Bank and Kent streets.

Barry Horeczy, an editor with Postmedia News, said he had just finished work and was waiting with about six other people at the temporary stop.

A black two-door Nissan 300ZX hatchback sportscar that he and another witness had earlier seen headed north on Bank Street turned on to Albert at Bank and appeared to lose control, Horeczy said.

The Nissan jumped the curb not far from the intersection and struck the woman and man standing about two metres away from him.

Horeczy rushed to the unconscious woman, now lying on her stomach, he said.

But the car kept going, breaking through a barrier and crashing into an abutment.

Horeczy said the driver of the car, who was unharmed, got out of the car and said: "I don't know what happened. I can't believe I lost control." Only minutes before, Stephan Telka had stepped off a bus not too far away on Bank Street and saw a black sportscar speeding down the road.

"It definitely stood out as noteworthy," he said. "We realized it could have easily been one of us if we were at the wrong place at the wrong time." The Nissan 300ZX hatchback sportscar involved in the accident is a right-hand drive vehicle. In 2006, Transport Canada began a review, prompted by growing safety concerns about right-hand drive cars.

In 2007, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia tallied the number of collisions involving right-hand drive cars. The study found a 40 per cent higher accident rate, compared to left-hand drives.

Last year, Quebec became the first province to temporarily ban further imports of such vehicles because of safety fears.

Albert Street is a three-lane one-way westbound road normally. One lane has been closed to traffic with concrete barriers on either end.

A temporary sidewalk was built between the concrete barriers for people to wait for the bus.

A temporary bus platform was established in mid-June to service bus users while the city upgraded the nearby transitway station at Albert, just east of Bank Street. This is one of five downtown stations that are undergoing major improvements scheduled to be completed later this month, according to the City of Ottawa.

With files from Andrew Seymour and Joanne Chianello

mhurley@ottawacitizen.com