“We are devastated. They were local children, whom we all knew,” confides the mayor of Izon, Laurent de Launay. “We are in shock. For families who have lived in our villages for a long time, it is terrible,” adds the first magistrate of Saint-Loubès, Emmanuelle Favre. The 18-year-old young woman and the 19-year-old young man, who lost their lives in a road accident, this October 19, in the early morning, in Saint-Sulpice-et-Cameyrac, were from these two municipalities located about twenty kilometers east of Bordeaux.
These two friends were returning from an evening with friends when the tragedy happened, around 4 a.m., on the departmental road RD 242, at the exit of Saint-Sulpice, less than 2 kilometers from Saint-Loubès where the young woman lived. female. Driven by his friend, the Peugeot 308 in which they were traveling left the road, a few meters after a bend, on a slightly steep straight line. The vehicle sped several meters down the grassy shoulder before crashing into a tree in the ditch.
“A shock of extreme violence”
Alerted by a motorist who was passing by, a few minutes later, the emergency services were unable to do anything for the two young victims, the sole occupants of the vehicle. Despite the efforts of firefighters, a Smur medical team and gendarmes quickly dispatched to the scene, Aurélie Richard-Herrera and Noah Reignault could not be revived.
“Given the state of the vehicle, the shock was extremely violent,” testifies Pierre Cotsas, the mayor of Saint-Sulpice-et-Cameyrac, who went to the site in the middle of the night, with an assistant.
Why this accident? This is what the gendarmes of the Carbon-Blanc brigade, to whom the investigations have been entrusted, are seeking to establish. Until more than 9 a.m., they carried out surveys and observations on the scene. And discovered remains of wild boar corpses on the roadway, possibly suggesting the passage of a herd in front of the Peugeot 308.
Animal remains
During the day of October 19, animal remains, marked on the ground by investigators, were still visible on the road. Most of these markings were several meters after the point of impact between the car and the tree. “Investigations are underway to determine precisely the circumstances of this accident. For legal reasons, the investigation was opened for manslaughter,” specifies the deputy prosecutor of Bordeaux, Olivier Étienne.
“Several hypotheses are being studied. Was there contact or not between these young people’s vehicles and wild boars? Did another car hit wild boars and continue on its way? Was there a possible bad move by the driver who could have consumed a little alcohol? Did he see shadows on the road? All these hypotheses are studied,” adds the magistrate.
Autopsies of the bodies must be carried out.
