A “slight fault, a fault of inattention”, that of not having seen the red light reserved for cyclists and of having blown it. But on arrival, a “not trivial victim”, “particularly vulnerable”: the frail Georgette, 96 years old. One meter 50 for 35 kg. On Thursday, a four-month suspended prison sentence was requested against Cyril, 52, prosecuted for having violently struck the nonagenarian with his electric scooter, on June 23, 2021, Place Bellecour in Lyon. Today, the victim is quadriplegic, “prisoner of his body”.
That day, the man is in a hurry. He multiplies the round trips between his car parked on the banks of the Saône and the rue des Marronniers, where he is renovating an apartment from floor to ceiling. To go faster and to transport the necessary equipment, he travels on an electric scooter. A recently purchased machine that he has never insured. Lyon, he does not know very well, he confesses. He only goes there to honor his work. The subtleties of the lights dedicated to soft modes escape him. “The only thing I saw was the green light in the distance,” he explains at the helm.
25km/h, “the speed of a galloping horse”
Launched on his racing car, the 50-year-old crashed head-on into the old lady who was crossing at the pedestrian crossing. Mown at 25 km / h, “the running speed of a galloping horse”, underlines Marlène Druilhe, lawyer for the victim. Georgette had “the impression of being thrown into the air”. A witness hears the shock of the collision and confirms: “I saw an elderly lady literally fly. She took off from the ground before falling. Heavily. The driver did not “stumble”. The scooter’s handlebar “didn’t even move”. Distraught, he rushes to the old lady, begins to cry, calls for help. On the ground, she “can no longer move”.
The following ? Georgette who “suffers from multiple fractures” will spend three months at the Massues hospital. “His survival is almost miraculous,” says Cécile, one of his daughters. “My mother did not see herself ending her life like that, she was dynamic. The day of the accident, she had gone downtown to buy hiking sticks. She was to leave, a few days later, to go green in the Hautes-Alpes. “She maintained herself, was very concerned about her health. At 96, she was perfectly autonomous, independent. Which was exceptional considering his age. »
“May this accident serve to raise awareness”
Placed in nursing home for a year, the nonagenarian “suffers physically and psychologically”, reveals her daughter. But she “isn’t angry” with the driver, she “doesn’t want to push him any further”. He still blames himself for what happened. He says it “haunts him”.
“The only thing my client would like is for this accident to serve to raise awareness,” argues Marlène Druihle. Because the case of Georgette “is unfortunately not an isolated case”, nor anecdotal. “The majority of scooters flout the rules of the Highway Code, continues the lawyer. It is high time users understood that they have to drive with as much concentration as when they are behind the wheel of their cars. »
In everyone’s opinion, Cyril is “not a speeder”. He has never had any trouble with the law. “The requisitions are fair,” said Laurence Bornens, his lawyer, attentive to the fact that the prosecution did not request any financial condemnation or the suspension of his driving license. Judgment was reserved for November 28.