(La Tuque) A head-on collision on Route 155 in La Tuque, in Haute-Mauricie, had significant repercussions, notably forcing an intervention by SOPFEU.
The collision between a heavy goods vehicle and a van occurred around 12:30 p.m., at kilometer 96.
The impact was so violent that the van ended up completely under the truck and both vehicles caught fire.
“This fire spread to the forest along the road […] and that also led to a power outage […] until around 1:30 p.m.,” said Sergeant Éloïse Cossette, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.
Several emergency response teams, including those from the Society for the Protection of Forests Against Fire (SOPFEU), were called to the scene. Their work was complicated by difficult communications.
“This is also an area where cellular communications do not work,” emphasized Sergeant Cossette.
Route 155 was still closed in the middle of the afternoon, in both directions, between kilometer 103 and kilometer 86, near La Tuque, for an indefinite period.
This is the only major road link between Trois-Rivières, in Mauricie, and Roberval, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
Added to this is also the human tragedy linked to this accident.
“Given the circumstances, we expect there to be victims, but we do not know the number of victims who could have been in the van. »
The driver of the weight only suffered minor injuries, according to the SQ spokesperson.
An SQ reconstructionist was called to the scene to clarify the circumstances leading to this head-on collision.
“He will help us, but it is still too early to have this information,” said Sergeant Éloïse Cossette. Witnesses will also be met.
“The priority was really the rescue on site, ensuring that the fire did not get bigger and the road closure, so really the operation on the scene,” she said.
The SQ investigation continues.