The car’s tire tracks are still marked on the road, in front of the stop sign a few meters from the Lamothe-Montravel station, where the little girl died late Monday afternoon. Throughout the day, residents came to lay flowers and children drew a cross on the ground with pebbles. In the small village of 1,300 souls, tobacco, bakery, we only talk about the accident. Monday afternoon, a little girl died, mowed down by the school bus bringing her back to her village.
“The whole village is in mourning”
Sylvette and Bernadette haven’t slept all night. “When my children came to see me at half past midnight, I couldn’t sleep, it wasn’t worth it! I got up at 4 a.m., I got up at 5 a.m., I got up at 6 a.m…. C is a horror. I was thinking of the driver, I was thinking of that kid…”breathes Sylvette. “And all those children who saw what happened, it must be horrible for them!”, adds Bernadette. The day before around 5:30 p.m., the 12-year-old schoolgirl died under the wheels of the school bus which brought her back to the Lamothe-Montravel station. Forty people, classmates, parents attended the scene.
– Joan of Butler
“The whole village is in mourning”, stammers Brahim. He lives in the street that goes up to the station, and he was there on Monday, he saw everything. “People were screaming, there were all the children. Everyone was shocked. Everyone is talking about it, everyone is sad”he said.
misunderstanding
The inhabitants are in shock and do not understand what could have happened. Joël lives in the house just opposite the stop sign, it was he who called the fire brigade on Monday. “I can’t explain it to myself. What could have happened? Why?” The bus driver, a 72-year-old man, was heard by the gendarmes. According to the Bergerac prosecution, he is an experienced driver, he knew the route and he assures that he had not seen the little girl. He passed toxicological examinations which all came back negative.
– Joan of Butler