the essential
Returned to circulation a few days before Christmas after 19 months of work, the famous Vieux de Montauban bridge (Tarn-et-Garonne) was the scene of a spectacular accident, Wednesday January 1, 2025 in the early morning. While the driver, who escaped unharmed as did his passenger, is under police investigation, the town hall will file a complaint for the damage to the historic monument.
“Sacred dive 2025”. A spectacular accident that occurred on New Year's Day on the Pont Vieux fueled many conversations in Montauban. While the night of New Year's Eve was “rather calm” in the town of Ingres, according to the assessment of the prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne which only deplored a few trash fires, a motorist is reported in a funny way by damaging the city's most famous bridge, barely put back into circulation since December 18, 2024 after 19 months of a restoration project which consisted, in particular, of replacing all the guardrails.
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It was around 7 a.m. this Wednesday, January 1st. A white Peugeot Partner, traveling at high speed in the Villebourbon district, was going up Avenue du Général-Sarrail towards the Pont Vieux. Two men were on board. For a reason that the investigation will have to determine, the driver, who was heading towards Quai Montmurat, went “straight on”. The utility vehicle hit the sidewalk, smashed two sections of the new openwork cast iron railings which adorn the building before plunging 7 to 8 meters below… and coming to rest at the foot of the parapet, not without having damaged a modular building in the process. construction site.
“Signs of alcohol”
Given the noise caused, the accident woke the residents of Quai Montmurat from their sleep, who quickly alerted the emergency services. Firefighters took charge of the two occupants of the vehicle, who had left the vehicle without apparent injuries. As a precaution, the two men were evacuated to the Montauban hospital center to undergo control examinations. “Given the fall, they are a bit of a miracle,” says the DDPN 82 (departmental directorate of the national police).
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As recommended by procedure, the police took blood samples from the driver to detect the possible presence of alcohol or narcotics. “The driver showed signs of alcohol but this must be formally confirmed by the tests carried out. The procedure is underway,” confides this same police source.
In road safety jargon, this road exit will be classified as a material accident. Not enough to make Montauban town hall laugh, which intends to file a complaint, after assessing the amount of damage to the public domain.
