The driver of theambulance private who has accidentally hit and killed two minors who were riding a scooter on Monday at Lyon was indicted on Wednesday, suspected of recklessness, announced the prosecution.
This man, known to have committed multiple traffic offenses in the past, was indicted for “homicideinvoluntary by manifestly deliberate violation of an obligation of security or prudence provided for by law or regulation, ”said the prosecution in a press release.
Placed under judicial control
At the end of his indictment, the driver “was placed under judicial control by the investigating judge, with in particular the prohibition to drive any motorized land vehicle”, specified the prosecution, which had requested a warrant of deposit.
The driver, at the time of the facts, was however “holder of a valid driving licence”, although this one only included “more than 2 points out of 8″, had previously informed the prosecution on Tuesday, specifying that the driver was ” known for having committed several traffic offenses punishable by fixed fines, loss of points on the driving license and suspension of his licence”.
Young people who died on the spot
The accident occurred around 6 p.m. in the 2nd (good: 2nd) arrondissement of Lyon, quai Maréchal Joffre, on the banks of the Saône, an axis usually very busy.
A 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy who were traveling together on a scooter in a lane reserved for buses and unregistered two-wheelers had been hit by the private ambulance which was leaving for the intervention, and was authorized to drive on this lane.
The girl died instantly, the young man did not survive an attempt at resuscitation. In a state of shock, the paramedic had been hospitalized with his passenger before being placed in police custody.
Images transmitted to justice
Investigations are continuing to “determine the exact circumstances of the occurrence of the accident”, according to the prosecution. “Faced with the legitimate concerns of our fellow citizens”, the prefect, the city of Lyon and the Metropolis of Lyon “will meet in the coming days to unite all the actors around road safety: strengthening repression and prevention development roads, “said the prefecture on Tuesday.
Asked by AFP on Wednesday, she reported having recorded only one fatal scooter accident between 2019 and 2021 in the department. The mayor of Lyon, Grégory Doucet, for his part, said on France Info this Wednesday morning that he would “soon see once more” the operators of self-service electric scooters in the city of Lyon. “We have already asked them to make a lot of effort” so that “these scooters (…) can be regulated in the city”, “for example, we have already regulated parking since we have created dedicated areas.
The elected official, who recalled having introduced the 30 km/h limit in Lyon in March “to improve road safety”, also said he was thinking regarding “specific measures that might be taken to avoid this kind of misfortune”, saying “very much awaiting the results of the investigation”. In the meantime, the images “taken by the cameras” were transmitted “to justice”, he specified.
In Progress, Bruno Basset, president of the Association of urgent medical transport (Atsu) of the Rhône department, insisted on the fact that an ambulance commissioned by the Samu nevertheless remained subject to “traffic precautions. In this case, the special sound and light warning devices must be activated and you must be extra vigilant”.
