The mother of the child hit by a driver who did not stop Tuesday in Saint-Raymond has great difficulty believing that the person was unaware of the impact.
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“I give him the benefit of the doubt, but it’s practically impossible in my opinion. My child screamed at the impact. Fortunately, he is alive and that’s what counts, ”explained Stéphanie Colangelo, immediately following meeting the investigators on Wednesday.
Alone on the way, the young cyclist was heading to a friend’s house at the time of the accident.
Photo Agence QMI, Marcel Tremblay
Her 11-year-old boy suffers from a fractured foot, in addition to superficial injuries on the left side of his body. He was able to leave the hospital and go home.
With an excellent visual memory, the child managed despite his trauma to provide a good description of the vehicle with important details.
No helmet
The mother also wishes to launch an awareness message. “My son wasn’t wearing a helmet and that’s very important. No one is safe from this type of accident,” adds Ms. Colangelo, well versed in bicycle safety since she works for Louis Garneau Sports.
Photo Agence QMI, Marcel Tremblay
For the rest, she says she trusts the judicial process.
For his part, the employer of the suspect driver believes that it is not impossible that his worker was not aware of the impact. The contractor, who does not want to be identified to protect his company, was not present during the collision. However, he was able to hear his employee’s version.
“He was in full possession of his faculties. There’s no impact mark and it’s a big truck with lots of tools, so it’s noisy when moving,” says the owner.
The latter, however, remains cautious in order to let the investigators complete their work. Although the loading of the truck can be noisy, he also claims that there were two people in his truck.
“I don’t want to get wet. I’m just saying it’s possible and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt,” adds the businessman.
According to him, the employee went himself to meet the police and his file is exemplary.
“He has been with me for six months. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I built the company and I want to continue,” underlines the entrepreneur who has nothing to be ashamed of.
Liable to criminal charge
A driver responsible for an accident who leaves the scene is liable to a Highway Safety Code fine of $600 plus costs, but also to a Criminal Code charge.
The driver must however be aware that he has been involved in an accident with a person or another means of transport.
The accident occurred around 5 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of rue Saint-Cyrille and avenue Saint-Louis. The young boy fell from his bicycle upon impact. Witnesses were quickly met by the police.
The truck was found around 9:30 p.m. and the driver was interviewed shortly following by investigators. The suspect was officially arrested followingwards. The man was released on a promise to appear and under certain conditions. He will return to the Quebec courthouse on October 5.