In an extraordinary moment at Edmonton's courthouse Wednesday, a widow hugged family members of the man accused in the death of her husband.

"I feel bad for them," said Audrey Flynn, whose husband Lyle Rude, 52, was killed when a stolen Jeep plowed into his truck earlier this month. "They seem like really nice people."

The 24-year-old man charged in the case was making his first court appearance Wednesday when Flynn reached out to his family.

"I went over and introduced myself," she said. "I talked to them and gave them hugs."

Both families are emotionally devastated, she said.

"I said, 'We're going to be seeing each other in the future and I'm not the type of person that says you're the family and I hate you,'" Flynn told CBC News.

She said she wanted to reassure the family the crash wasn't their fault.

"It was a tragic accident," she said.

"My loss was obviously more severe than their loss," Flynn said, adding: "I did tell them I want justice for Lyle and I will be going after the maximum."

Flynn said she went to court to put a face to the man accused of killing her husband, who up to now was merely a name in a news story.

The man appeared at the brief hearing via closed-circuit video from the Edmonton Remand Centre.

He is accused of driving a stolen Jeep, leading police on a chase, before crashing into and killing Rude at 100th Avenue and 156th Street during the morning commute Aug. 6.

Police said they called down their pursuit of the Jeep moments before the crash over concern for public safety.

Rude's wife said her world came crashing down that day.

"We had so many plans for the future," said Flynn. "We were talking. We had our plans and our dreams. And now I have to try to achieve these by myself.

The 24-year-old man will next appear in court on Sept 6 on charges of dangerous driving causing death, criminal flight, driving while disqualified and possessing stolen property.