Nothing works. Despite the increase in checks, reinforced sanctions and prevention campaigns, some motorists persist in adopting dangerous behavior, sometimes with dramatic consequences. This is what happened Monday morning in Pomponne, at milkman time. Shortly before 6 a.m., a man driving a Renault hit a 25-year-old woman in rue du Général-Leclerc. According to the first elements of the investigation, entrusted to police officers from the Lagny-Chessy national police station, the driver was unable to present a driving license valid in France. Additionally, the cannabis test was positive.
“According to the latest news that we were able to gather Monday evening, the young woman, who lives in the town, was evacuated to a Parisian hospital in serious condition but her vital prognosis is no longer in jeopardy,” confided Arnaud this Tuesday morning Brunet (SE), the mayor of Pomponne. Regarding the circumstances, the elected official indicates that the city’s surveillance cameras made it possible to have a “fairly partial” overview of the accident which would have occurred outside a pedestrian crossing, about a hundred meters from the town hall and even less from the municipal police, at the parking lot of the association center.
An expert was commissioned by the Meaux public prosecutor’s office
“The collision took place very early but the public lighting was on again,” said the councilor. In Pomponne, since 2020, public lighting has been turned on a quarter of an hour after bedtime then turned off at midnight, turned back on at 5 a.m. and turned off again a quarter of an hour before daybreak to save energy . On Monday, the sun rose at 6:20 a.m. so the lights came back on at 5:50 a.m.
“The driver of the car was coming from Lagny and would not have had the right reflex to avoid the young woman who was crossing,” continues the mayor of Pomponne. Even if we still do not know if speed is also to blame, Arnaud Brunet indicates that a reflection is underway on the entirety of this road axis in order to make it as secure as possible. “We will take the necessary measures,” he promises.
The driver of the Renault was taken into police custody. This resident of the area, aged 24, explained that he was going to work and that he had not seen the young woman. Of Dominican nationality, he only had a driving license from his country and had not taken the necessary steps to obtain a French license which is compulsory for any foreigner residing for more than a year in France. Concerning the positive screening, he admitted to having smoked a joint a few days before. Analyzes are underway and the results are not yet known.
The Meaux public prosecutor’s office commissioned an expert to examine the vehicle and determine its speed at the time of the impact. In the meantime, the motorist’s police custody was lifted Monday evening. The victim suffered multiple fractures. She has already been issued with a temporary 90-day total incapacity for work (ITT).
Since the start of 2024, Seine-et-Marne has faced a worrying increase in serious, even fatal, accidents. According to the prefecture, there have already been 25 deaths on the roads since January 1, compared to 16 at the same time last year.
