The drill involved in the tragedy was moving in a path prescribed by the owner of Mont-Tremblant, indicated yesterday the subcontractor Forage M2P inc. which does not exclude that a simple human error could be in question.
“I would like to know what happened, the name of the company that was doing the work, why it passed under gondolas … in short, to shed light on the events”, claims the daughter of the sexagenarian who was ejected from the gondola on Sunday morning.
just questions
In the aftermath of the accident that left her mother in critical condition and killed her boyfriend, many questions remain unanswered. The Mont-Tremblant station was not able yesterday to say why the drill was moving in the mountain.
“We don’t know the nature of the work, the circumstances of the accident, the conditions. […] We are very aware that everyone is looking for answers to the situation and that is what the investigation will reveal to us, ”said spokesperson Annique Aird.
The construction machine was driven by an employee of Forage M2P Inc., the company confirmed in a press release, which “normally acts” as a subcontractor, in Mont-Tremblant and throughout the region.
In Mont-Tremblant on Monday, authorities were still combing through the scene where one person died and another seriously injured after they were ejected from a cabin in contact with a drill on Sunday, July 16. LAURENT LAVOIE / LE JOURNAL DE MONTREAL / QMI AGENCY
Laurent Lavoie / JdeM
The gondola was struck “by the mast of a drill that an employee worked to move from the site via a path prescribed by the owner of Mont-Tremblant,” said the company.
“These tragic events constitute an isolated incident which would be the result, at first sight, of either human error, communication or mechanical failure,” she also said in her press release.
- Listen to the court segment with Félix Séguin where he discusses the latest developments in the accident via :
It is not uncommon for the station to take advantage of the summer season to do all kinds of work, but, technically, these are stopped on Sundays, said Benoit Filion, president of the Station Workers’ Union. Mont Tremblant.
We see here the completely open cabin, from which the two victims fell.
Photo Julien Crosby
During tourism
For his part, Félix Ferland, head of health and safety for the CSN-Construction, wonders what a drilling machine was doing to move “in the middle of the day when tourist activities are at their peak”.
Thierry Laforce / QMI Agency
He wonders if the protocols were followed, then if plans and circulation corridors had been thought out before the work.
“The mast of a drill is very high. Normally, it can be tilted to pass under electrical wires or cross under cables. When such machinery is moved, a foot signalman should be present with a radio to direct [le conducteur] in its maneuver,” he explains.
Especially since with the approach of the construction holidays, this is a particularly critical period for work accidents. “Each year, there are those who increase the pace to meet deadlines. Vigilance is less there, ”laments Mr. Ferland.
-With Olivier Faucher