Their names were Gilles, Michèle, Sylvain and Robert. They were fathers, mothers, sons, brothers. Four innocent people mowed down by a careless trucker in 2019. Their loved ones paid tribute to them Thursday as part of submissions on Jagmeet Grewal’s sentence.
Posted at 11:56 a.m.
Emotions were at their height Thursday at the Laval courthouse. All morning, witnesses took the stand to deliver extremely moving testimonies. It is difficult to remain indifferent to their suffering. In the dock, Jagmeet Grewal remained impassive.
The 58-year-old Montrealer was found guilty last winter of having caused the deaths through his criminal negligence of Gilles Marsolais, Michèle Bernier, Sylvain Pouliot and Robert Tanguay-Laplante. On August 5, 2019, Jagmeet Grewal caused a monster pileup on Highway 440 in Laval. Several people were also seriously injured.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Jagmeet Grewal, then at large at the Laval courthouse
Behind the wheel of his truck, Jagmeet Grewal never braked. However, the road conditions were ideal. The truck driver should easily have seen, in the distance, the start of a traffic jam. However, he did not react during those fateful 10 seconds. His truck then turned into a powerful projectile, causing carnage on the highway.
Jagmeet Grewal should never have gotten behind the wheel. He had already been declared unfit for life to drive a truck and suffered from significant physical and psychological limitations. In addition, he was not taking his medication properly. He was a walking danger that day.
Four people paid the ultimate price. Gilles Marsolais and Michèle Bernier are among them. In a sad irony, these two young retirees from the Montreal City Police Department had spent a good part of their career investigating collisions.
“It was a brilliant duo. You couldn’t miss them. It’s totally unfair,” testified Amélie Martin, Michèle Bernier’s daughter.
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
The victims Michèle Bernier, 48 years old, and Gilles Marsolais, 54 years old
At just 19 years old, she lost her mother. Its rock. A woman who “overflowed with love, gentleness, honesty and sensitivity. Since then, the shock has been immeasurable. She describes the sleepless nights and the petrifying fear that animates her when someone close to her is late.
“It’s extremely hard to come to terms with the idea that they won’t come back again, when we haven’t been able to say goodbye to them. They just disappeared from our lives,” she confided, her voice breaking.
All these years, Amélie Martin hoped for one thing: an apology from the accused. They never came.
“I was hoping for a sincere apology… We never got anything. We are left with the weight of all this,” she lamented.
“Happy Birthday, Dad”
Friday, Gilles Marsolais would have been 60 years old. His daughter, Mariane Marsolais, portrays a determined, ambitious and loving man. A very spiritual man who loved people.
“It is devastating to know that this accident could have been avoided. They will never have seen their five grandchildren or experienced life as grandparents. My father won’t have the chance to walk down my aisle at my wedding. I always try to keep my head held high, but it remains very difficult,” testified Mariane Marsolais.
“Happy birthday, Dad,” she concluded.
His brother, Nicolas Marsolais, said he was “devastated” by the death of his father. “This is nonsense,” he whispers. His father, a colossus, broke like this. “They will never have the chance to be grandparents, they were so looking forward to being one. This privilege will have been brutally taken away from them,” he said, moved.
“Happy birthday, dad,” he added in turn.
At 26, Robert Tanguay-Laplante had his whole life ahead of him. A heavy equipment mechanic, he dreamed of working on helicopters. He had just bought a car.
PHOTO FROM MEMORIA
Robert Tanguay-Laplante
But his “future has stopped”. So abruptly.
“Robert was a young man just starting his life, he was only 26 years old. He had lots of ideas. He was a hard worker who had a bright future ahead of him. Today, Robert is no longer with us. But our Robert will forever remain in the hearts of this family and in our thoughts for the rest of our lives,” testified his father, reading a letter signed by the entire Laplante family.
Two days of hearing are planned before Judge Yanick Laramée for observations on the sentence. The Crown can be expected to seek a “severe” sentence of detention.
Free throughout the judicial process, Jagmeet Grewal recently lost his freedom because he failed to comply with his release conditions.
