A 10-year-old girl, who was one of the children hit by an octogenarian motorist in La Rochelle, died on Friday June 7, the prosecution confirmed. The child was taken care of by emergency services in a state of “extreme emergency”.
A 10-year-old child died two days after being hit by an octogenarian motorist, the prosecutor’s office announced to AFP on Friday June 7, confirming information from Sud Ouest. The little girl was taken care of by emergency services directly after the tragedy in a so-called “extreme emergency” state.
The death was declared early Friday morning, Arnaud Laraize, public prosecutor in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), told AFP.
On Wednesday June 5, twelve children aged 7 to 11 were cycling in the street as part of an outing organized with a leisure center. An 83-year-old motorist hit the group at the intersection of avenue Coligny and rue Jules-Ferry, injuring seven children, three of whom were seriously injured.
Five children hospitalized
In a press release published on Thursday June 6, the La Rochelle prosecutor, Arnaud Laraize, gave information on the condition of the children transported to the hospital, including this 10-year-old girl who was “in absolute emergency” and had was transported to Poitiers.
“Another 9-year-old child, initially hospitalized in La Rochelle in a relative emergency, was transferred to Poitiers for observation. An 11-year-old child hospitalized in La Rochelle in an absolute emergency is experiencing positive developments in her state of health. Finally , a fifth 9-year-old child in relative emergency was operated on this morning in La Rochelle but is in stable condition,” added the prosecutor.
He specified that two other physically injured children were released from the hospital during the day.
The motorist placed in psychiatry
At the time of the incident, the 83-year-old driver was on a two-way avenue. The prosecution declared that the motorist arrived “in the wrong direction” after having “suddenly shifted to the left, for no apparent reason”, hitting the children “in a head-on collision”.
This driver, who was traveling in a yellow Twingo, was hospitalized in psychiatry and tested negative for alcohol and narcotics tests.
A flagrant investigation into “unintentional injuries by the driver of a vehicle”, subsequently reclassified as “involuntary homicide by the driver of a land motor vehicle”, is underway.
