the examining magistrate pronounces a dismissal, six years after the tragedy which had made 43 dead, the prosecution appeals

There should be no trial in the Puisseguin coach accident case. The examining magistrate in charge of the file of this tragedy, which had made 43 dead on October 23, 2015, decided to dismiss, reports France Bleu Gironde on Friday October 22. The order was issued on October 14. The prosecution and the victims’ lawyers appealed.

On October 23, 2015, in Puisseguin (Gironde), a collision between a truck and a coach left 43 dead, i.e. the deadliest road accident in France since that of Beaune (Côte-d’Or) in 1982, which left 53 dead. On a small road, at the exit of the village, the semi-trailer arriving at 75 km / h had deported to the left, before jacking up and colliding with the bus, coming in the opposite direction. Inside, retirees on excursions who had found themselves trapped in flames and toxic fumes. They were burnt alive or suffocated.

According to the examining magistrate, only the driver of the truck could be implicated. However, he died in the accident, which excludes the possibility of legal proceedings. “The main cause of the accident was the excessive speed of the truck”, concedes on France Bleu Gironde the lawyer of the victims, master Antoine Chambolle. “But there are other faults: the defect of the semi-trailer and this famous additional tank [du car] which has an abnormal position and which is oversized. “An expertise of the investigation and analysis office (BEA) demonstrated in 2017 that the auxiliary tank installed on the truck “was not approved”, just like its installation. The gendarmes of Bordeaux had concluded in 2016 that it is the rupture of this reservoir “which caused the fire at the origin of the tragedy”.

In January, the Libourne prosecutor’s office had made additional requisitions for hearings and indictments, but they were rejected. The collective of the victims of Puisseguin does not say they are really surprised by this decision of the investigating judge, but they regret that the tragedy has not at least served to change the safety standards on board the buses. “The main goal was to prevent an accident like this from happening again”, deplores on France Bleu Gironde the president of this collective, Michel Vigier.

“Nothing happened and I think it’s a shame.”

Michel Vigier, president of the collective of victims of Puisseguin

at France Bleu Gironde

Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. the relatives of the victims will go to meditate on the stele of the accident. They will be accompanied by François Hollande, President of the Republic at the time of the tragedy.