A tragedy took place this Monday morning, in the north of France, a car mowed down four people around 9 a.m. All four victims died. Here’s what you need to know about this accident.
What happened?
This Monday morning, around 9 a.m., a car hit four pedestrians in the town of Steenbecque (North). According to the first elements of the investigation, the driver fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of the vehicle. “According to initial information, a light passenger vehicle swerved at the exit of the village,” detailed the sub-prefect of Dunkirk, François-Xavier Bieuville. The driver “lost control of the vehicle”, which “hit four people on the sidewalk who were hiking” he added. The accident took place on the main line of this town of around 1,700 inhabitants, located in a rural area on the border with Pas-de-Calais. This path connects the village to that of Morbecque, located 4 kilometers away.
What is the outcome of the accident?
Three people were quickly pronounced dead. They lost their lives at the scene of the accident. The fourth victim was transported by helicopter to the Lille CHR in the morning, his life prognosis was in jeopardy. We learned this afternoon that she did not survive the accident.
Who are the victims?
A 77-year-old woman and a couple, a 70-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman, died at the scene of the accident, while a 70-year-old woman died a few hours later. Two of the victims are from Steenbecque, and two others from the neighboring village of Morbecque, said the sub-prefect.
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The four victims, struck a few meters after the end of speed limit sign, used to meet three times a week to walk together with sticks and were part of a seniors’ club. One of them was “president of the retirees’ association, she held belote tournaments, she organized meals, dances, she was very lively”, says Pierre Dubois, 66, who has lived in Steenbecque for 20 years.
Who is the driver?
The driver responsible for the fatal accident is said to be 51 years old. He was taken into custody at 9 a.m., said Monday evening the prosecutor’s office, which opened an investigation for “involuntary homicide by a driver”.
Where is the investigation?
The investigation was entrusted to the Hazebrouck gendarmerie research brigade. “Other investigations are being carried out in parallel [de la garde à vue du conducteur, NDLR]in particular for the purposes of hearing witnesses and technical and scientific expertise, in order to clarify the circumstances of this accident”, it is specified in a press release from the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office.
What do the witnesses of the accident say?
“I was still in my bathrobe when I said to my husband: ‘There’s an unusual traffic jam with a bunch of trucks.’ He went to look and said to me: ‘There’s been an accident,'” testifies Sabine Kayamaré, 52, along this busy road. “There were four people on the ground crushed on the road”, including her neighbor, seriously injured.
The driver “was parked there with some kind of 4×4 (…) The car was well demolished in front (…) and the guy serenely sat on the phone. I said: “But what’s going on? “happened?” He replied calmly: “I fell asleep, I took the trash.” But it’s not possible, his version doesn’t hold up,” she believes.
The speed of this section of road, once again singled out
“Here, it has become the highway.” Many residents of Steenbecque deplore the excessive speed of vehicles on the road where the accident took place. “I’m disgusted, I’m angry, for so long we’ve been asking for a speed bump…”, continues Sabine Kayamaré, before interrupting herself and telling motorists: “It’s 30 here! It’s 30 !”
“There was a draft agreement between the commune and the departmental council, which is in progress, with the aim of placing a device in one place in the commune which should lead to slowing down the speed in the village,” said François-Xavier Bieuville, the sub-prefect of Dunkirk.