A flagman was fatally struck Wednesday followingnoon in Carignan, Montérégie, at the same location where two teenagers were involved in a fatal scooter accident this weekend.
• Read also: Teenager dead and another in a coma following being mowed down on a scooter
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m., when the 58-year-old worker was at a temporary traffic light on Chemin Sainte-Thérèse, in a roadwork area.
He was then struck by a motorist aged in his thirties.
The signalman suffered serious injuries, from which he succumbed a few hours later, in a hospital center.
The Sûreté du Québec was called in to help reconstruct the scene. The Commission for Standards of Equity in Occupational Health and Safety was also questioned.
Unknown causes
As the Richelieu-Saint-Laurent Intermunicipal Police Board is treating the case as a criminal event, the driver involved was arrested and was to meet with investigators.
It was too early on Wednesday evening to know what offenses the suspect is accused of exactly, said captain Sébastien Guillemette.
“The circumstances and the causes are completely different” from the fatal accident which occurred on Saturday evening, he said.
Indeed, the driver involved in the drama was possibly under the influence of alcohol when she hit the two 15-year-old teenagers who were on a scooter.
The driver, Jonathan Jerome, died at the scene, while his friend, Samy Bouchard, suffered serious injuries.
Analyse
After this fatal collision, the authorities explored the idea of reviewing the compliance of the site’s signage, but no problem was raised, reports Captain Guillemette.
A new analysis will be carried out.
According to Jean-François Dionne, the president of the Association of workers in road signs of Quebec (ATSRQ), it would be the first flagman to die on a construction site this year.
In addition, 75 workers reported minor incidents to it in 2022.
“There is one thing that is important to say: as soon as you see an orange sign or an orange cone, be vigilant,” insists Mr. Dionne.
