Tragic accident in Meudon. Shortly before 8 a.m., this Monday morning, a man died, struck by a delivery vehicle while crossing the roadway of Avenue Morane Saulnier, a busy 2 x 2 lane which connects Meudon to Vélizy-Villacoublay (Yvelines) .
A sign of the extreme violence of the impact, the main victim, a 43-year-old man, was thrown about forty meters from the pedestrian crossing on which he was at the time of the accident. A protected passage where he was not alone.
Negative alcohol and drug screening
He was crossing rue Morane-Saulnier, near bus stop 645 at the Vélizy 2 shopping center bus station, alongside a 23-year-old woman, also struck down by the car. Suffering from multiple fractures, the latter was treated by emergency services before being transported in absolute emergency to Percy hospital, in Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine), in a condition considered serious. “She was hit in the chest, suffered a fractured pelvis and internal bleeding,” whispers a police source.
If it appears that the two victims were therefore on a pedestrian crossing, the speed of the car involved, a utility vehicle from an express delivery company, remains to be determined. “Given the consequences, we can think of excessive speed,” observes the same source. The other essential point to clarify is the color of the fire. »
According to the first information collected by the police, these two people crossed at the pedestrian crossing, even though the traffic light was red for them. “The light was green for the motorist,” indicates a source close to the investigation. Visibility was not necessarily good and the ground was slippery. The van was unable to avoid the two pedestrians. »
Aged 20, the driver of the utility vehicle was taken into police custody where he was still this Monday afternoon. The alcohol and drug tests he underwent both came back negative.
“A horrible scene…”
“As a pedestrian, I was waiting at the light for it to turn green,” testifies Aïssata, present at the time of the tragedy, on Facebook. This horrible scene happened in front of me… This gentleman flew over the van, a horrible scene…”
Still on social networks, others report the excessive speed of motorists on this road, or the inattentive behavior of pedestrians: “on this section of road, vehicles drive very fast as soon as the light is green, I take almost every day. It bombs like no other. And yes, also, some pedestrians cross when the man is red (sic) without looking at what happens. »
“Without defending the driver, it appears that many pedestrians and especially cyclists believe they always have priority over vehicles and therefore do not respect existing signage,” confides, for example, an Internet user. When I was little I was always told to look before crossing, not for a priority problem but for safety. »
During the emergency response and on-site investigation, which was entrusted to the Meudon police station, bus traffic was disrupted at this stop. It resumed normally shortly after 10 a.m.
