Motorists had the fear of their lives while traveling on the Laurentian highway on Friday evening. Many vehicles were strafed with blocks of ice and rocks that came out of nowhere.
The drivers involved were traveling southbound near Victoria Park. They were hit head-on by debris thrown by a snow blower from the Ministère des Transports du Québec (MTQ) which was in the other direction.
Félix Archambault was returning from a beautiful evening at Igloofest Québec with a couple of friends. He was driving his brand new BMW M340 car when a “cannon shot” hit the sunroof around 11:15 p.m.
Photo credit: Felix Archambault
It shattered and a huge piece of ice landed on the knees of a passenger who had taken a seat in the back. Other projectiles smashed through its windshield and damaged its mirrors.
“At the time, I tried not to panic, because there were cars everywhere around me. It would have been quite a pileup if I had reacted any other way. »
The operator of the snow removal equipment would not have seen what was happening on the other side, since an accumulation of snow “regarding 10 feet high” would have prevented him from doing so.
Photo credit: Felix Archambault
State of shock
Immediately following the events, Mr. Archambault headed for the nearest Sûreté du Québec station to file a complaint. “When I arrived, I realized that I had been followed by several others. Some cars were still a lot more messed up than mine,” he says.
A taxi following his car showed up at the police station with a dented hood and a huge impact in its windshield. Other angry drivers also marched past the police.
“Everyone was in shock, it was so unexpected. Pieces of rock and ice began to fall from the sky,” continues Félix Archambault. The 20-year-old says he is “afraid to get back behind the wheel” since the incident.
Photo credit: Felix Archambault
Ongoing investigation
The spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Stéphane Tremblay, confirms that “cases were opened for material damage of more than $2,000 between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., on the night of March 3 to 4”.
The SQ also checked with the Ministry of Transport to shed light on the situation. The police force analyzed the images of the security cameras near the place where the events occurred.
Contacted by the Journal Sunday followingnoon, the MTQ did not want to advance on the nature of the events. “If people believe they have suffered material damage through the fault of the ministry, they can go to our website to request compensation,” said MTQ spokesperson Louis-André Bertrand.
Photo credit: Felix Archambault
More fear than harm
Even though he and his friends came close to disaster, he considers himself “lucky in his misfortune”. “We have a few cuts from shards of glass, but it mightn’t have been much worse. »
The injured driver consoles himself with the fact that the damage was only material. “A coat, benches and a sunroof can be replaced. However, it’s frustrating because my insurance premium is going to go up for something that I had no way of preventing or avoiding. »