A young husky was fatally struck on Sunday afternoon during his daily walk with his mistress on Chemin St-Gérard in Shawinigan.
Audrey-Anne Plourde was walking with her three dogs and a friend, when a car seemed to rush in their direction.
“The driver, I really saw him. […] When he saw us, he accelerated to “pogner” us,” said Ms. Plourde.
The two friends only had time to take a few steps to avoid the car. It was finally Elzo, one of the dogs on a leash, who took the shock. The animal died instantly, a few steps from his home.
His mistress, who was a few centimeters from her dog, considers herself lucky to be still alive.
“Everyone tells me that when an animal loves you, it’s ready to lay down its life for you. This is what my dog did for me. I really thank him, ”lamented Ms. Plourde.
Denis Gélinas was passing on the road at the time of the accident. After making sure of Audrey-Anne Plourde’s condition, he chased the driver.
“I was about six inches from his bumper, so there I got [demandé ce que j’allais faire]. Do I “bink” it to erase it? ‘Cause I figured he was gonna kill some more on the way up [sur le chemin]. But I didn’t need to”, confessed the good Samaritan.
After driving dangerously for a few meters, the drunk driver ended up in the snowbank.
“I raised his head and said, ‘Do you realize what you just did?’ He wasn’t even answering me,” added Mr. Gélinas.
Two days later, the story is still hard to tell for Elzo’s mistress. Mrs. Plourde has not yet found the courage to return to walk with her dogs on the same route. She and her family hope to raise awareness about drunk driving by telling their story.
“The difference between a dog on a leash, on the heels, and a child you hold by the hand is… There is no difference. It could have been a child, it could have been anything. We just hope that an event like that does not happen again,” said the victim’s spouse, Anthony Corbin-Chabot, visibly shaken by the circumstances.
The 32-year-old driver, Philippe Plourde, appeared Monday at the Shawinigan Courthouse on several charges, including impaired driving and causing bodily harm. He was released on a promise to appear. However, his license is suspended for 90 days.
This is not his first court appearance.
In May 2010, he also pleaded guilty to impaired driving charges. He then received a one-year driving ban.