A 49-year-old man admitted to being drunk behind the wheel when he fatally struck the driver of an electric scooter while returning to his home in Lanaudière in June last year.
• Also read: Accused of having been drunk behind the wheel by fatally hitting a young man on a scooter
“Yes, I admit it. Guilty,” Claude Chabot said at the Joliette courthouse on Friday.
These are the few words spoken in court by the driver, who had an alcohol level above the legal limit, on the fateful evening of June 18, 2023.
Claude Chabot, after leaving the hearing, at the Joliette courthouse.
Photo Laurent Lavoie
The outcome in this case took place before the eyes of the family of Sébastien Corbeil, the victim. His loved ones appeared emotional during the short hearing, likely being thrown back into the circumstances that took the 32-year-old’s life.
Deadly turn
The collision between the two road users occurred around 8 p.m. on Chemin Sainte-Marie, in Mascouche.
Claude Chabot would have gone up the hill, then made a left turn to enter the parking lot of his home.
It was then that he hit the victim, who was traveling in the opposite direction on an electric scooter. All this in front of a yellow sign located at the side of the road where we could read “Slowly”.
The police combed the scene after the tragedy.
Pascal Girard / Agence QMI
Sébastien Corbeil was wearing a helmet and other protective clothing at the time of the tragedy, confirmed to Journal at the time the Mascouche police.
Despite everything, the thirty-year-old had no chance.
Sébastien Corbeil had his protective equipment on at the time of the tragedy.
Photo taken from Sebastien Corbeil’s Facebook account
The death created a shock wave in those around this motorcycle enthusiast who, at the end of April that year, had already covered 5,000 km.
The driver, who worked in the construction industry, was quickly arrested by the police.
Conditions of release
Claude Chabot must currently respect certain conditions to remain free.
In particular, he is prohibited from driving unless he has an alcohol ignition interlock device.
The case returns to court next April for arguments on the sentence to be imposed on Chabot.
Until then, a pre-sentence report, which allows an in-depth profile of the accused, must be produced.
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