A double collision occurred this Saturday evening around 10:30 p.m. on the A 709 motorway between Montpellier and Nîmes. Two people died: the pilot of a motorcycle, residing in Castries and aged 30, and his passenger, 17 years old, from Saint-Just. The hypothesis of a chase with a fast gendarmerie vehicle is confirmed. The two vehicles collided.
A double collision occurred this Saturday evening around 10:30 p.m. on the A709 motorway between Montpellier and Nîmes near Saint-Aunès. Two people died: the driver of a motorcycle and his passenger. The first was aged 30 and lived in Castries. The second was 17 years old and lived in Saint-Just.
The chase confirmed
The accident occurred at the Vendargues exit. It now appears clear that a chase had begun after the Saint-Jean-de-Védas tollbooth between the motorcycle and a rapid intervention vehicle of the Alpine type gendarmerie in which there were two soldiers.
Controlled at 139 km/h
The motorcycle had just been checked there at a speed of 139 km/h on an axis limited to 90 km/h. “While they were approaching, near the Vendargues/Baillargues exit, in the town of Saint-Aunès, for a reason which remains to be determined, the Alpine would have hit the motorcycle, which fell” specifies the Montpellier public prosecutor's office.
The pilot and his passenger died very quickly despite the intervention of the police and witnesses to the impact. The two soldiers on board the Alpine were slightly injured.
Lack of license and insurance
Its driver was interviewed this afternoon by investigators responsible for determining the exact circumstances of this dramatic accident. The first elements collected show that the driver of the motorcycle did not have a driving license and that his vehicle was not insured. “The legal consequences will depend on the various investigative actions in progress: hearings of the driver, witnesses, material findings, samples, examination of surveillance videos” specifies the deputy prosecutor of Montpellier.
The chase could be the cause of an accident that occurred almost simultaneously a few hundred meters before the fatal impact. Five people were injured in the pileup which involved several vehicles.
