Four dead in a monster pileup: “As long as he doesn’t talk about it, we’ll never know what happened”

Relatives of the four motorists who died in the monster pileup that occurred in 2019 were, for the first time in five years, able to speak to the trucker responsible for the serious consequences they suffered due to his fault.

• Also read: Four dead in a monster pileup on the 440: the truck driver found guilty of criminal negligence

“My mother always said that nothing happens for nothing. I tried to find an explanation [à sa mort]to understand, I did not find. I attended every day of court to find out what happened… As long as [l’accusé] will not talk about it, we will never know what happened,” lamented Amélie Martin, the daughter of one of the victims, Michèle Bernier.

The 48-year-old woman died on August 5, 2019 alongside her partner Gilles Marsolais, when the truck driven by Jagmeet Grewal drove into a line of vehicles stopped in front of him on Highway 15. Sylvain Pouliot, 55, and Robert Tanguay-Laplante, 26, also died.

The truck driver responsible for the pileup, Jagmeet Grewal, was back at the Laval courthouse on Thursday, as part of sentencing observations.

He was found guilty of criminal negligence causing death and injury.

Although he enjoyed freedom for the majority of the legal proceedings, it was in the defendant’s box, handcuffed on his wrists and ankles, that he appeared in the courtroom.

A judge recently ordered his detention for breaking conditions, namely that of residing at his residence.

Images of the drama

On the day of the tragedy, unlike other road users near him, Grewal never braked, neither before nor during the impact.

According to a video of the moments preceding the pileup, the danger was nevertheless perceptible at least 10 seconds before the first collision. He was then traveling at nearly 100 km/h.

A thick plume of black smoke emerged from the fire and was visible for several kilometers around.

“Imagine realizing that the photos and videos that we saw passing the day before were no longer simple photos, but those of my mother and my stepfather who were dying,” added Mrs. Martin.

The father of Robert Tanguay-Laplante, for his part, said that the announcement of his son’s death had the effect of “a hammer blow to the face.”

“He was only 26 years old, he had just got his driving license, it was his first car. But his future stopped because of that,” testified Sylvain Laplante, himself a truck driver.

At trial, the Crown argued that this fatal pileup was a “catastrophe foretold.” Jagmeet Grewal should never have been on the road at the time of the tragedy.

Like a weapon

Involved in a road collision in 2012 in the United States, he was subsequently declared permanently unfit to work as a truck driver, in particular due to psychiatric problems.

Despite these conclusions, he obtained his license again due to a major error by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec.

At the time of the tragedy, the trucker was neglecting to control his diabetes and was taking several medications that affected driving, such as painkillers, muscle relaxants and antidepressants. The accused himself admitted to having significant concentration problems.

“We must keep in mind that he was not driving a normal vehicle, but was rather behind the wheel of a potentially dangerous heavy truck, which is considered a weapon,” judge Yanick Laramée said during the verdict. .