Fatal accident in Sainte-Perpétue: “I did everything to avoid it”, says the trucker

A road accident claimed the life of a young woman in her thirties on Wednesday. The trucker who hit his vehicle replays the events on a loop since the tragedy that took place at the corner of roads 216 and 204 in Sainte-Perpétue in the county of L’Islet.

• Read also: Road accident: a woman loses her life in Sainte-Perpétue

Tanya Chartrand, 32, of Saint-Pamphile, died of her injuries after a violent impact with a heavy weight. Her daughter, a few months old, was also in the car. The child suffered injuries, but there is no fear for his life.

“It’s a nightmare, says Sébastien Robichaud, the timber carrier involved in the accident. I braked as hard as I could, but it was too late when I saw her. I couldn’t do anything more.”

poor visibility

Mr. Robichaud was driving on Route 204 when he saw Tanya Chartrand’s car appear out of nowhere at the intersection. He knows the place and is used to going there every day. He had never seen an accident there before.

“It’s not an easy corner. When you want to board the 204, there is a house and a row of trees that obstruct the view a lot on the left. To see well, you almost have to go to the other side of the stop sign. That’s what happened yesterday: the woman went too far and then she didn’t see me.

“I killed someone”

Once out of his overturned truck, Sébastien Robichaud immediately rushed to the vehicle he had just hit. He tried to rescue the young woman, but she was trapped in her car. The firefighters had to use the rescue pliers to get her out of the cabin.

“I saw right away that she was on the verge of death,” he says. She was seriously injured. I was in shock, I thought to myself that I had probably just killed someone.

The truck driver was so preoccupied trying to get the lady out of her car that he didn’t see the baby. It was a passerby who arrived at the scene of the accident who noticed his presence and the two men were able to rescue the baby.

Hand held out

Sébastien Robichaud feels guilty, even if it is an “accident that could have happened to anyone”. He would like to speak directly to the entourage of the young mother.

“I want to offer them my full support and tell them that I really did everything I could to avoid it. It’s really sad what they have to go through and I would like to help them however I can. »