The 47-year-old man who caused a violent collision causing the death of a woman who was walking on the street in Montreal in May 2023 pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to charges of impaired driving causing death.
The accused, who was at large while awaiting the end of his trial, appeared Wednesday morning at the Montreal courthouse where he pleaded guilty to three counts: impaired driving causing death, impaired driving impaired causing injury (to two people injured during the accident), and also for having used a vehicle without the authorization of its owner.
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Upon his arrival, Vi Trung Ngo addressed the journalists gathered at the entrance to the courtroom and offered a brief apology for what he had done.
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Vi Trung Ngo, who has a long record of violations of the Road Safety Code, caused the death of Fabienne Houde-Bastien, 31, on the night of May 21, 2023, after running a red light at the The intersection of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Jean-Talon Street.
The woman, who was returning on foot from an evening with friends, was walking on rue Jean-Talon around 3:15 a.m. when she entered the deserted intersection to cross boulevard Saint-Laurent.
In the seconds that followed, Vi Trung Ngo, who was driving at a high speed on rue Jean-Talon, failed to stop at the red light before hitting the side of a SUV who was crossing the intersection at the same time.
Under the force of the impact, the SUV was projected onto Ms. Houde-Bastien who had no chance to protect herself or avoid the vehicle in which two people were traveling.
Transported to hospital in critical condition, Fabienne Houde-Bastien succumbed to her injuries a little later.
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Fabienne Houde-Bastien was returning on foot from an evening with friends when she was hit by one of the vehicles involved in the accident. (Archive photo)
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The driver and passenger of the SUV thrown at the woman were also injured during the violent collision.
Arrested at the scene of the accident by patrol officers, Vi Trung Ngo was driving that night with a very high blood alcohol level, 238 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, almost three times the limit permitted by law.
Mr. Ngo admitted to going through a red light which, according to the evidence, had been red for more than 38 seconds. He was traveling, according to expert reports, at 80 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. When the police arrived on the scene, they noticed a lot of symptoms in Mr. He had difficulty standing up.
reported Me Anik Archambault, prosecutor for criminal and penal prosecutions.
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The vehicle driven by the accused, a mechanic by trade, was that of one of his clients.
Photo : - / STEPHANE GREGOIRE
Owner of a mechanical workshop in the Rosemont district, Vi Trung Ngo was that evening behind the wheel of the vehicle of a couple of customers who had left their vehicle at his garage.
At the time of his arrest, the man already had around forty violations of the Highway Safety Code on his record in addition to a criminal record for vehicle theft and misdemeanors.
With information from Amélie Desmarais
