A violent collision occurred Friday near a high school – and in a residential area – on Côte-Saint-Luc Road in Montreal. A driver and three passengers were injured after skidding and crashing into a tree, bench and bus shelter. No passers-by were hit.
The driver of the vehicle, a 21-year-old young man, is in critical condition and there are fears for his life, said Jeanne Drouin, public relations officer for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). The three passengers, aged 20, were taken to hospital after suffering injuries and broken bones. Their condition is stable and their life is out of danger.
No pedestrians or passers-by were hit or injured. And this, despite the fact that this small park is next to a high school, a creamery, several apartment buildings, a church and a family home.
In this busy school sector, the speed limit is 50 km/h. The driver of the black Infiniti sedan reportedly skidded while traveling east around 1:40 p.m. not known.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Scene of the accident, Friday
“It happened so fast. The car has drifted [dérapé] and I heard a loud noise. I saw the car go into the bus station and turn,” says Armando Ortiz. The 18-year-old observed the scene as he walked on boulevard de la Côte-Saint-Luc to get to Saint-Luc secondary school, very close to the scene of the accident.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Armando Ortiz
He was late for his class. He saw passers-by contacting emergency services, and at least one passenger in the car.
It’s a bit scary, to be honest. It is the horror of the accident.
Armando Ortiz, witness to the accident
Seated at his side, in the creamery facing the security perimeter, Yanis Sadji, 16, says he even heard the echo of the collision from inside the school.
The mayor of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, reacted on Twitter. “My thoughts are with the 4 people who were taken to hospital following this terrible incident on the way to Côte-St-Luc,” she wrote.
Driver seriously injured
The accident occurred at the corner of chemin de la Côte-Saint-Luc and Grand Boulevard, at the junction of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and the city of Hampstead.
Dominique Jean and Kathryn Bastien both arrived at the scene a few minutes after the collision. They witnessed the work of the paramedics.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Kathryn Bastien and Dominique Jean
They were pulling out the driver with pliers [de désincarcération]. We could see that he was not breathing well. It’s super sad.
Dominique Jean, witness to the accident
“Speed was a factor [dans l’accident] “, estimates for his part Mme Bastien. She saw the skid marks on the roadway and saw the force of the impact.
“It’s a miracle that no passers-by were injured,” adds Mme Jeans.
A reconstructionist was dispatched to the scene to analyze the scene. Speed, alcohol, drugs or other elements could explain the accident. These elements will be explored during the investigation, according to Agent Drouin. “There is nothing to suggest that the collision was intentional,” she adds. Witnesses were questioned on site by SPVM police officers.