“It was the emblem of the city”: strong emotion in Limoges after the death of a cyclist known to everyone in an accident

Overalls and a pair of rubber boots, always on his bike: Jean-Marc Chatard, known as “the man in blue”, was known to everyone in Limoges. The announcement of his death, which occurred on the night of November 8 to 9 after being hit by a car which fled, plunges the inhabitants of the Haute-Vienne prefecture and its surroundings into grief.

“This man in blue was the emblem of the city of Limogessays a Limougeaud cyclist in the TF1 news report to be found at the top of this article. Everyone knew him, everyone had already met him. And it’s true that a lot of people tell us that every time we met him, we had a good day.” “He was very kind, didn’t ask anything of anyone. He was walking his little way peacefully.” says an onlooker.

“We want it to serve as an electric shock”

A retired mason, “the man in blue” was an integral part of the local landscape, tirelessly continuing to crisscross the local roads on his bicycle. He was still doing it on Friday, the day of his fatal accident. Found in a ditch by emergency services, he died of his injuries a few hours later at Limoges University Hospital. The driver, aged 76 and with no criminal record, turned himself in two days later, justifying his escape by the fact that he thought he had hit an animal. His police custody was lifted this Monday morning, while investigations continue.

The niece of the “man in blue”, whom our team met, expresses her anger in front of our camera: “It’s something we don’t accept, because maybe if he had helped him right away, the internal bleeding could have been stopped in time, and maybe he would be still alive todayunderlines Karine Lavergne. So it’s true that we are angry.”

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For their part, local cycling associations refuse to stop there: “We don’t want his death to serve no purpose, we want it to serve as an electric shockprotests Jérôme Fraisse, vice-president of Véli-Vélo. (…) We would like there to be more arrangements so that Mr. and Mrs. Everyone can go out and take the bike without being afraid“.

This is the fourth fatal cycling accident in a year in Limoges. Nationally, 226 cyclists were killed on the roads in France in 2023, around forty more deaths than in 2019. In Limoges, a tribute will be paid next Saturday to this man in blue who entered, without ever having really looked for it, in hearts.