Several pedestrians were hit by a van on Monday in the town of Amqui, in Bas-Saint-Laurent, causing several serious injuries. This drama seems a priori to be a voluntary gesture, affirms a witness of the scene to the Duty. The Amqui hospital triggered a “code orange”, while the driver was taken to the nearest police station to be questioned by investigators from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
Pedestrians were walking along the edge of Saint-Benoît Boulevard in downtown Amqui when they were hit by a van shortly after 3 p.m. Monday afternoon. Some pedestrians suffered “serious injuries”, the Duty the spokesperson for the SQ, Claude Doiron, without being able to indicate the number of victims.
The injured people were taken to the Amqui hospital, where a “code orange” was triggered because of this accident, confirmed the head of press relations at the CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gilles Turmel. This code is triggered when a “massive” arrival of at least six injured or “victims” occurs in a hospital center, said Mr. Turmel. The triggering of this measure makes it possible to recall doctors and other specialists in order to “quickly take care of these people”, added Mr. Turmel, who does not rule out having to transfer patients to other hospitals. if the Amqui hospital – small in size – is not enough to meet the demand.
“We are talking about multiple injuries,” added the spokesperson for the CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent.
A “shattering” drama
A witness told the Duty seeing dead bodies on the road. “The guy, he was accelerating when he arrived on the sidewalk,” testifies a resident of Amqui, one of whose relatives was at the scene of the tragedy, which raises the question of the deliberate gesture. “He was really going for the world. »
Gilles Turmel specifies that more than a dozen psychosocial workers have been deployed to Amqui to support people who may have witnessed this collision.
The trucker Alain Gilbert meanwhile drove on boulevard Saint-Benoit shortly after this tragedy. He said he saw a few people lying on the ground for a distance of 500 meters. “A policewoman from the SQ was giving cardiac resuscitation to someone who looked very badly off,” Gilbert told the Dutywho claims to have seen “at least” four people lying on the ground, while several paramedics were on the scene.
Route 132 was closed in both directions due to this collision, while the driver was brought to the Amqui police station, as the police investigation continues to elucidate the circumstances of this tragedy. It is not known at this time whether charges will be filed against the driver.
“It’s shocking what happened in Amqui. All my thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, ”reacted Wednesday, at 5:45 p.m., the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, on Twitter.
Schools were enjoying a pedagogical day on Monday and the sidewalks were teeming with people. “It was a beautiful sunny day. People took the opportunity to go outside, to walk. It’s not what we thought was going to happen, ”said Mayor Sylvie Blanchette. “We never think that it is at home that it happens. We think it’s far from us, somewhere else. »
Ongoing investigation
The SQ has not yet confirmed any deaths related to this event. It is also unknown the nature of the injuries suffered by the victims of this collision, as well as the number of people who were caught Monday afternoon. The SQ also does not know if the driver involved in this accident was impaired.
“The toll would be very heavy. More information to come. I am troubled by what I am being told, ”reacted PQ MP for Matane-Matapédia, Pascal Bérubé, on Twitter on Monday. The latter did not return calls from DutyMonday.
The Minister of Public Security, François Bonnardel, also reported on social networks of “a serious accident in Amqui”. “Teams are on their way and we are monitoring the situation closely,” he added.
The president of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec, Daniel Côté, who is also mayor of Gaspé, said he was “upset by this tragedy”.
I take the direction of Amqui and I cancel my presence tomorrow at the@Assnat. I am in communication with the Minister @fbonnardelCAQ. The toll would be very heavy. More information to come. I am disturbed by what is being reported to me. https://t.co/Mpwx2K9Hnx
— Pascal Berube (@PascalBerube) March 13, 2023
Investigation in progress. Preliminary information reports a serious accident in Amqui. The teams are on their way and we are monitoring the situation closely. We are in contact with the MP @PascalBerube and our regional minister @MaiteVezina. https://t.co/KA2zlc1zAO
— Francois Bonnardel (@fbonnardelCAQ) March 13, 2023
More details will follow.