A sixty-year-old died Saturday after his vehicle hit a tree on a regional road in Bas-Saint-Laurent. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) currently believes that he was the victim of illness.
The events occurred shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday morning. Emergency services were then called to Route 291, between kilometers 28 and 29, in the Saint-Épiphane sector. The 911 call mentioned leaving the road.
Once on scene, first responders located a red sport utility vehicle (SUV) stopped against a tree on the side of the road.
The man in his sixties, who was the only person on board, was trapped inside his vehicle. Extrication pliers had to be used to remove him from the passenger compartment.
The victim was pronounced dead on the scene, said Sergeant Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, spokesperson for the SQ.
“As the weather and road conditions were favorable in the area, discomfort is currently one of the hypotheses being studied to explain the exit from the road followed by the collision with the tree. There doesn’t seem to be any alcohol or speed in there,” said M.me Bilodeau.
An investigation by the Coroner’s Office will take place to confirm these hypotheses.
Traffic was alternating on Route 291 early Saturday morning to allow investigators to do their work.