Alcohol and excessive speed in an accident in Loire-Atlantique: “I could have lost a good friend”

“I regret, I apologize…”, judges are used to hearing the mea culpa of those responsible for road accidents…

This was the case on Tuesday April 30, 2024. A young man from the north of Loire-Atlantique appeared before the Saint-Nazaire criminal court, for involuntary injuries, while he was driving with a blood alcohol level of 1.80 g, at a speed that he estimated himself “at 90-100 instead of 70”September 12, 2022 in Avessac.

He was 19 years old.

“Open at the top of the head”

According to him, he fell asleep at the wheel. His vehicle was found turned over in a field.

His passenger, in this case the friend he was supposed to drive home, was seriously injured.

They got out of the vehicle alone, his passenger being “cut open on the top of the head and bleeding a little”.

Found 500 meters from the accident site, the driver did not want to call the firefighters.

” For what ? You didn’t think your friend was in danger? », asks the president.

“No, I thought he didn’t need help,” replied the defendant. Since then, he has reflected:

“I should have called the firefighters, I could have lost a good friend, we saw each other again this weekend. »

As a result, initially, the accused was prosecuted “for failure to assist a person in danger”, an offense for which he was acquitted.

Mandatory permit

The defense lawyer, Mr.^e Arnaud Bernard, endorsed the prosecutor’s statements: no medical certificate placed in the file, lack of additional elements…

He especially insisted on the fact that if his client lost his license, he would also lose his job, since he is an automobile mechanic, a profession for which a license is essential.

The court followed the prosecution’s requisitions: three months suspended prison sentencecompletion of a road safety course and €300 fine.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon -.