In La Rochelle, this Wednesday, a group of children on bicycles were hit by a car, driven by an 83-year-old person. The father of one of the children testifies at the microphone of RMC.
The circumstances of the accident which took place this Wednesday morning in the streets of La Rochelle still remain unclear. A car hit a group of a dozen children on bikes, aged 8 to 11, around 10 a.m. Seven injuries were reported, including three serious. In particular, a little girl had to be evacuated by helicopter and hospitalized in an “extreme emergency”. In the evening, all the children were in “a stable medical condition” indicated the public prosecutor.
The driver, aged 83, seems to have moved to the left, without knowing why. Negative for alcohol and narcotics, she was hospitalized and her police custody lifted “for medical incompatibility”. An investigation into unintentional injuries has been opened.
A great fear for the children struck in La Rochelle
The children were going to an orienteering race in a public park, as part of a leisure center. They were supervised by two facilitators, wearing helmets and reflective vests. In La Rochelle, it was a shock for the child victims of the accident and their loved ones. Gabin (9 years old) still looks into space. He was driving with his friends when the group was hit by the car.
“He is doing well, he managed to verbalize what happened even if it wasn’t obvious,” explains his father, Maxime, at the RMC microphone. He was very scared. It really happened. before his eyes he saw the car arriving, the children being hit, blood, screams… His first words were fear and sadness for his friends.
What Gabin’s father questions is above all the age of the driver, 83 years old. “Did she still have the ability to drive and all her reflexes, at her age? It certainly raises questions,” he confides.
The 83-year-old driver “did not brake”
An investigation is open to determine the circumstances of the accident. Michel, a local resident, saw the strange behavior of the driver. “She turned left and hit a car,” he said. “She didn’t brake, there were no brake marks. She continued on her way and was stopped a little further. far away, 150-200m away, she was shocked, she didn’t really realize what she had done. The driver was hospitalized while waiting to be interviewed by investigators.
