She heard the news several weeks ago. But she preferred to wait before speaking out. Time to try to understand, to release the anger. A month after receiving the dismissal order, Anne Bagros neither understood nor lost her temper. The investigating judge responsible for studying the case of his daughter’s death almost five years ago did not consider that legal proceedings were necessary. However, a magistrate had requested the indictment of Rennes Métropole from 2022 for “involuntary manslaughter”, considering that the community had a share of responsibility in the death of Grace Lochin. This student, then aged 22, was killed while riding her bike on Boulevard de Rochester, in Rennes. As she crossed the Patton intersection, the young woman was hit by a truck and died.
The driver of the truck admitted the facts and explained that he had not seen the young woman move away. His indictment had not been requested. On her bike, Grace Lochin had no other choice to avoid the central island located in the middle of the intersection. It is this lack of planning which pushed the Rennes public prosecutor’s office to request the indictment of Rennes Métropole. The public prosecutor then considered that the community had made a mistake by failing to “carry out the development work to ensure the safety of cyclists at the intersection in question”. The investigating judge in charge of the case did not share these conclusions and ordered a dismissal of the case. “I can’t understand. We’re talking about someone’s life here. What’s the message? We kill cyclists and move on? It’s as if we were killing Grace a second time,” denounces Anne Bagros, the young student’s mother.
Words which have a particular resonance when France seems to be moved by the fate of cyclists since the tragic death of Paul Varry, run over by the driver of an SUV in Paris. Certainly, the case of the accident which occurred on November 4, 2019 in Rennes is completely different. But how can we explain that the metropolis can escape prosecution when clear evidence attesting to the dangerousness of the intersection has been provided? In his indictment, the prosecutor considered that the community had not “put in place sufficient signage”. A breach which had forced “users of the cycle path to swerve to avoid an element of the central reservation”.
“A real trap for two wheels”
A real danger, clearly identified, without any adjustments being considered. An expert firm estimated that the configuration of the premises was “a real trap for two wheels”. Rather clear. “They had known about it for ten years. And they did nothing,” says the cyclist’s mother, who announced that she had appealed this dismissal. “It’s not over yet. I have nothing more to lose,” she warns.
It took nearly five years for the metropolis to develop a definitive development aimed at securing this busy intersection in the north of Rennes. In September, the municipal council adopted the preliminary project for the redevelopment of the crossroads, validating a financial envelope of more than 3.2 million euros to transform the premises. The work should not start before spring 2025, to be completed at the start of the 2026 school year. After the accident, blocks were installed on the roadway to try to protect the bicycles.
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