“I got my license in 1972 and I had never had an accident. I never thought it could happen to me one day,” this 74-year-old woman, prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter and refusal of priority, ruminated this Monday at the bar of the court. A tragedy that occurred almost four years earlier, on August 20, 2020, in the parking lot of the Leclerc center commercial area in Mazères-Lezons.
“Trail” over six meters
That day, the septuagenarian drove her Ford near the Brico-Dépôt. She doesn’t drive fast. Barely 25 km/h. But the driver does not see the pedestrian who has entered a protected crossing. The car hits her and “drags her for six meters” before stopping. The victim is “stuck” under the vehicle. It was a Speedy employee who managed to free it using a jack.
Taken to hospital, this 74-year-old woman died three weeks later of “multiple organ failure”. An expert report confirms that it “originated in the accident” reports President Benoît Verliat.
“When this lady came out from behind the billboard, I was already engaged. I couldn’t do anything else,” sighs the defendant, “retired from the Ministry of the Interior,” who, despite the time spent, still struggles to understand the facts.
“58 years of common life” broken
A incomprehension shared by the victim’s loved ones. Her husband and son are present at the hearing. The accident broke “58 years of life together” whispers this inconsolable widower. “I don’t understand why she didn’t see it,” slips the son, pointing out “a problem with vigilance.” “I was adopted at the age of 4. My parents saved me,” he emphasizes, adding emotion to an already heavy audience.
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“These cases are always unfair for the loved ones” underlines deputy prosecutor Sébastien Baraldi. He wants to explain why the trial comes so late. Expertise was necessary to establish whether the death was directly linked to the accident. Scheduled for the first time last October, the hearing had to be postponed. The defendant had just lost her husband.
“I regret it very much”
In this sensitive matter, there is no major fault. There is this “very poorly placed” billboard, a busy shopping area, places that the driver doesn’t know well. Originally from Moselle, she had been living in Gelos for six months.
“But in front of her, there is another vehicle stopped at the protected crossing to let the pedestrian pass. If the driver pays attention to his surroundings, he stops. This is where she was imprudent” analyzes Sébastien Baraldi.
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“She wasn’t driving fast. But a ton of metal thrown at 25 km/h does damage to a human body.” The magistrate also seeks to understand why “she did not stop immediately”. In her panic, the driver might have confused the pedals.
Standing in front of the court, the retiree no longer really knows. “I greatly regret what happened. That’s all I can say,” breathes the one who has never gotten back behind the wheel. Under judicial supervision since the accident, she was banned from driving. She sold her car.
Of incomprehension and tears
In a letter of condolences addressed to the victim’s family, she spoke of a “twist of fate”, an “awkwardness” reported by Me Élodie Foix, civil party. “This trial phase was very important for my clients. But unfortunately we don’t have an answer. And we must leave it there.”
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“She does not seek to minimize her responsibility but she still does not understand what could have happened. Even if she didn’t have the right words, she is extremely saddened for this family” intervenes in defense Me Élodie Bédouret. “Before the hearing, she introduced herself to them. But she couldn’t talk to them, she could only cry.”
The court followed the requisitions, i.e. six months suspended prison sentence. The permit is cancelled. But she will be able to take it again in a month. “I don’t know if I’m going to use it…” confesses the septuagenarian.
