The walk to school was different this Thursday morning. After the accident which affected 12 children (7 to 11 years old) this Wednesday morning, knocked down on a bike by an 83-year-old driver, it was time for an exchange at the Bernard Palissy school center, where the vast majority of them attend school. Emotions ran high among the parents we met. “We feel a lot of sadness, pain,” explains Mehdi. “It’s like they’re my children.” For them, it was necessary to find the words and manage the worry. “My son thought he recognized some bikes in the photos,” he continues. “He was worried, he cried a lot and he had trouble falling asleep. It’s hard for him.” As with many of his comrades.
“It’s not easy to find the words”
As soon as the news of the accident spread, the parents of the students talked a lot on Wednesday afternoon. “There was great solidarity between the parents, we all called each other,” explains Guillaume. “My daughter is very worried about her friends. It’s not easy to find the words, especially since there was a similar drama at my son’s school a few months ago.”
A listening cell is in place at the Bernard Palissy school, including the presence of psychologists, for children but also for all municipal staff who wish. “This morning, La Rochelle is in shock”, says the mayor, Jean-François Fountaine. “Above all, don’t keep it to yourself, don’t withdraw into yourself, share!”
Lifetime license?
Although the causes of the accident are still unknown, the age of the driver who hit the children, 83, concerns some parents. “My father is 86 years old and he no longer drives alone. I think that from a certain age, you need checks,” asserts Mehdi. “Reflexes decrease and that’s normal.” A debate that the mayor does not want to hear about for the moment. “I am overwhelmed with questions about the license, do we have to have it for life? But this is not the time, nor the place. We are here to stand together in this terrible shock.”
This Thursday late morning, three children were still hospitalized in serious condition. “We are all anxious to have information”, breathes Jean-François Fountaine.
