Dramatic accident at the Alès mechanical center: an update on the investigation after the death of two figures from the world of boating

This Sunday, November 17, around 3:30 p.m., firefighters, gendarmes and emergency services were dispatched to the Alès en Cévennes mechanical center following an accident that occurred on the circuit track. During a day of driving, a Renault Alpine would have gone “straight” for a reason still unknown. The accident occurred at the end of a straight line before entering a right-hand curve. According to witnesses, the vehicle, which was traveling at high speed, did not deviate from its straight trajectory.

Significant emergency resources were deployed, including a helicopter which landed on the runway. The driver, Jean-Marc Lambot, aged 71, died on the spot. The 68-year-old passenger, Merry de la Poeze, in cardiorespiratory arrest, had to be extricated from the passenger compartment. He died shortly afterwards.

A technical failure?

The autopsy results, carried out this Tuesday, November 19, confirmed that the pilot had not suffered any discomfort, cardiac arrest or ruptured aneurysm which could have led to the accident. At this point, “the origin of the accident would come either from a mechanical failure or would be of a toxicological nature”, specifies the prosecutor of Alès Abdelkrim Grini, the public prosecutor of Alès.

The Alesian public prosecutor's office has therefore requested a mechanical assessment of the vehicle, as well as toxicological analyzes the results of which will be known within a few days.

Jean-Marc Lambot and Merry de la Poeze were two very well-known personalities in the world of boating. Many tributes have poured in since the announcement of the tragic disappearance of these two men.