Drugs, alcohol and oncoming traffic on the highway: guilty of causing a fatal face-to-face in Quebec

Intoxicated by drugs and alcohol, without a license and in the wrong direction on the highway for 5 kilometers, Salvador Ramirez Nolasco admitted on Thursday to having given no chance to a couple who found themselves on his road on February 17 2023, ramming their van and killing the 59-year-old man.

The 29-year-old accused pleaded guilty Thursday to the charges against him for the tragedy which took place a little over a year ago.

In fact, the accused procrastinated for a long time before his pleas were entered. Many back and forths were necessary between the room and the detention so that the lawyers could come up with a simplified summary of the facts that the driver accepted. And there again, he provoked the outcry from the victim’s family by pleading guilty to the charge of dangerous driving causing the death of Mario Fleury.

“I don’t remember, but my lawyer tells me it’s better that I plead guilty,” said the man, provoking a strong reaction in the room when the translator translated his words from Spanish to French.

Three times the allowed limit

Undertaken at the start of the day, the hearing finally ended at the end of the afternoon with Ramirez-Nolasco’s admission of the main facts of his offenses.

Intoxicated with cannabis and with triple the alcohol limit in his blood, the accused got behind the wheel after his shift in housekeeping with his partner as a passenger.

Arriving at the intersection of Hochelaga Boulevard and the Robert-Bourassa highway, the driver entered the highway in the opposite direction before driving 4.7 kilometers. The video of his tragic epic was shown in theaters, the end point of his journey raising an exclamation of astonishment among the victim’s loved ones.

The impact was so violent that the rear of the two cars was lifted before falling hard onto the road.

Upon seeing the images, Salvador Ramirez-Nolasco remained impassive in the dock.

No chance

Transported to hospital with lacerations to the diaphragm and several rib fractures with sharp fragments perforating the thorax, Mario Fleury had no chance. Despite attempts at open-heart resuscitation, doctors could do nothing to save the 59-year-old man.

His partner suffered severe head trauma, in addition to multiple fractures. She had to be hospitalized for three weeks, undergoing numerous surgical procedures.

At the hearing on release, Crown prosecutor Maël Tardif explained to the court that relatives had had to notify Ms. Seaburn of the death of her husband on at least five occasions due to his memory loss.

Intercepted without a license 12 days before

Due to the accused’s hesitation, observations on his sentence could not be held on Thursday. However, it is accepted that several relatives of the victim will make statements on the consequences of the tragedy on their lives.

The Crown has also already notified the court of its intention to suggest a heavy custodial sentence. Certain aggravating factors have already been discussed, notably the fact that Salvador Ramirez-Nolasco had been intercepted twice by the police while driving even though he did not hold a driving license. The second ticket had been given to him barely 12 days before the tragedy.

The case will return to court on September 6. A pre-sentence report on the situation of the accused will be prepared by this time.