the essential
Georges Tardieu died on May 9, 2023, when he had just done his shopping at the food store, under the wheels of a car, without his driver being able to explain why he had not seen him.
It’s a lawsuit without an answer. In vehicle-related manslaughter cases, there are often a few elements that help explain why death occurs on the roads: alcohol, cannabis, simple unconsciousness or the feeling of exhilaration from speed, cell phone, etc. Even if we don’t know with certainty, we can imagine it, suppose it, create the semblance of a scenario that can give meaning to the tragedy associated with the death of a loved one. Here, none of that during the criminal court hearing in Cahors which is being held this Thursday, November 14.
“I knew straight away he was dead”
This May 9, 2023, late in the afternoon, William*, 60 years old, drives into the parking lot of the Lidl in Souillac where he is looking for a space. He doesn’t drive particularly fast, as is usual in this kind of place, and regularly looks to the right and left in case a car leaves his place to get in his path. Suddenly, he hears the sound of glass and feels that his van – a Renault Trafic – is rolling over something. He thinks of a shopping bag. He opens his door, gets out and discovers, stunned, a body under the wheels, on the left side, of the vehicle: that of Georges Tardieu, resident of Pinsac. We then hear a death rattle and see bulging eyes: “I knew immediately that he was dead,” remembers a nurse who witnessed the tragedy.
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“That’s what shocks me, I didn’t know where it came from, I just felt that I was running over something,” says, upset, William, an English resident of Saint-Sozy, who arrived in France in 2006. Even the few people present on the scene struggle to explain what happened: “It’s as if the pedestrian had been sucked in.” He hit the van and was sucked in, he didn’t go in front of the car then under it,” one of them reported.
There were no signs of impact on the vehicle, which confirms an appropriate speed. On the other hand, investigators noted the presence of traces of blood on the left door. Which does not explain how Georges Tardieu found himself “caught” under the van.
“The only certainty is death”
“I’m going to stay hungry. We wanted to understand the why and the how,” says Mr. Yassfy, who represents the civil parties, the relatives of the victim, “known in the rugby community in Souillac, appreciated by all, an educator, a bon vivant always ready to be of service.” . » “It is a tragic accident which has no concrete explanation. The glare of the sun? Alcohol? We don’t know,” says the prosecution.
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“No matter how much we turn in all directions, the only certainty is his death. This trial will leave a bitter taste,” adds William’s lawyer, Me Geffroy.
But the absence of a concrete explanation does not prevent — in general opinion — the characterization of the facts. For this, William was sentenced to 24 months of suspended imprisonment and a 12-month suspension of his driving license. An undoubtedly bitter sentence for the victim’s loved ones who will no longer see Georges again. Bitter, too, like William’s last painful words at the end of the hearing: “I wanted to say that it was my fault and I’m not debating it. It will stay with me for a long time, even into my nights. »
