(Joliette) To save a family of ducks crossing a busy road in Lanaudière, Éric Rondeau stopped dead behind the wheel of his F-150, then started driving in the wrong direction at low speed. A “voluntary” maneuver which proved fatal for a 19-year-old motorcyclist who was coming from the other direction, according to the Crown.
Éric Rondeau’s trial opened Monday at the Joliette courthouse before a jury of 11 men and 3 women. The 47-year-old man is accused of causing the death of Felix-Antoine Gagné by driving dangerously for the public on July 22, 2019, in Sainte-Élisabeth, near Joliette.
A family of ducks is at the heart of the unusual circumstances of this fatal collision which occurred on Route 345, a key road in the region. It all started with Éric Rondeau’s decision to stop his F-150 type pickup truck just before a bend to let a rod and its ducklings pass. A video showing this striking scene in its entirety will be presented to the jury.
The criminal act of Éric Rondeau, in the eyes of the Crown, was however committed after he stopped in front of the birds. According to the Crown’s theory, the accused made a “voluntary gesture” by then finding himself in the opposite lane while driving at low speed. An expert will come to tell the trial that the accused was then driving at 18 km / h in a zone of 70 km / h, said the prosecutor Me Alexander Dubois.
“Meanwhile, the victim is driving his motorbike. He is driving in his lane and he comes face to face with the accused Éric Rondeau. According to the Crown’s thesis, it was Éric Rondeau’s voluntary maneuver that caused the death of Felix-Antoine Gagné,” said the Crown prosecutor, Mr.e Alexandre Dubois, in his opening statement to the jury on Monday afternoon.
PHOTO FROM DOMAINEFUNERAIRE.COM
The victim, Félix-Antoine Gagné, 19 years old
According to the Crown, the accused’s “voluntary manoeuvre” of driving in the wrong direction at low speed constitutes a marked departure from the behavior that a reasonable person would have adopted in the same circumstances. To establish the accused’s guilt, the Crown must prove that Éric Rondeau drove in a dangerous manner for the public and that his driving contributed significantly to the death of the victim.
The prosecutor also insisted on a point with the jury: “It is not about the trial of the victim, Félix-Antoine Gagné. This is the trial of the accused Éric Rondeau. Don’t forget that,” concluded Mr.e Dubois, who is teaming up with prosecutor Me Jade Coderre.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Crown prosecutors M.e Alexandre Dubois and M.e Jade Coderre (left)
Felix-Antoine Gagné, 19, was going to Berthierville to train at the time of the accident. He lived with his mother in Sainte-Élisabeth and had started a new job as a roofer, summarized Me Dubois.
The first witnesses in this short three-week trial will be heard on Tuesday. The center of attention will however be the video showing the entirety of the accident which will be presented to the jury. An “impartial, neutral and silent” witness, recalled Mr.e Dubois. Two accident reconstruction experts from the Sûreté du Québec will also be called to the bar, as well as the mother and uncle of the victim.
Me Richard Dubé defends the accused. The trial takes place before Judge Marc-André Blanchard, of the Superior Court of Quebec.