Fatal collision on the North Shore: his blood alcohol level was 3.5 times too high

The 43-year-old man who died in a face-to-face encounter in Les Bergeronnes at the start of the year had a blood alcohol level almost 3.5 times higher than the limit, bordering on an alcoholic coma.

“It is clear [qu’il n’était] not fit to drive a road vehicle,” wrote coroner Bernard Lefrançois in his report published on November 13.

Guillaume Pelletier was returning to his residence in Tadoussac on January 9 when the tragedy occurred. It was 5:18 p.m. when he found himself in the oncoming lane of Route 138, where he collided with a trailer truck, near Les Bergeronnes.

The coroner believes that the 43-year-old died instantly, as he suffered numerous fatal injuries from the force of the impact. And this, despite his seat belt and the deployment of the airbags.

No resuscitation maneuvers could be carried out by emergency services.

He pretends to be a passenger

That day, Guillaume Pelletier had to go to the optometrist in Escoumins for an eye exam. However, he stopped twice on the way to buy 375 ml bottles of vodka.

“The examinations had to be interrupted since Mr. Pelletier was not able to continue. He was staggering and leaning on the walls to walk or not fall,” the coroner underlines in the file.

When he came out around 5:15 p.m., he made the employees believe that he was accompanied by a relative and sat on the passenger side. The forty-year-old then quickly changed places and drove off, in front of the amazed eyes of the employees, who contacted the police.

The accident occurred just a few minutes later, shortly after Mr. Pelletier’s vehicle was seen zigzagging on Route 138.

Completely drunk

Although Mr. Pelletier’s vehicle did not leave any braking marks, “nothing in the investigation points to a suicide”, specifies Mr.^e Lefrançois.

In fact, the man was probably too drunk to react in time.

The two bottles purchased earlier by the motorist were found completely empty in the vehicle after the accident. The victim’s blood alcohol level was 279 mg per 100 ml of blood, while the limit for driving a car is 80 mg.

“Beyond 250 mg, alcohol can cause an advanced state of intoxication which can even lead to respiratory distress, coma, or even death,” warns M^e Bernard Lefrançois.