August 29, 2019 around 6 a.m. Boulevard Nettwiller in Toulouse, a driver violently hit 19-year-old cyclist Lucie from behind, who was traveling in the same direction as him. Thrown about twenty meters from the front, the young woman died of following his injuries in the hospital.
Alcohol and cocaine
The investigation showed that the author of the accident, 33 years old, had consumed alcohol (1.31 grams per liter of blood) at a party and cocaine. He was also driving very fast that morning. According to the expert, he was going at a speed between 82 and 90 km/h on a road limited to 50 km/h. The man had taken his car back to go and change his car parking lot.
Almost 2 years after the facts, this Thursday, June 2, the driver who appeared free, is tried for manslaughter with several aggravating circumstances, alcohol, narcotics and excessive speed. He faces jail time.
Motorized violence
An audience closely followed by the associations of Toulouse cyclists: 2 feet 2 wheels and Vélorution. According to her associations, the death of Lucie must change practices and must make it possible to fight against motorized violence. On May 27, the two associations organized a minute of silence lying next to bicycles in memory of Lucie.
A trying hearing, this Thursday, with a lot of people and a lot of crying in the hall. The parents of the young woman are there. The sister and the mother took the floor to talk about Lucie.
“Hit an animal”
The defendant sobbed on the stand and apologized to the family. He said not stopping right away after the shock, because he thought he had “hit an animal”. It was only, further on in a roundabout, seeing that the front wheel was no longer working, he parked the car and ran back to the boulevard towards the body.
The public prosecutor requested a two-year suspended prison sentence, the cancellation of the driving license and the prohibition to retake it for 3 years.