The cause of the motorist who caused the death of a motorcyclist while trying to spare the life of ducks is not unique: in 2014, a young woman was convicted of a similar crime.
• Read also: The accused wanted to avoid ducks: accident or criminal act?
• Read also: He kills a motorcyclist by going around ducks: the accused gives his version of the facts
The jury responsible for judging Éric Rondeau, accused of having caused the death of Félix-Antoine Gagné by going around ducks with his van, has been isolated since Tuesday afternoon.
The 47-year-old man is charged following a violent collision that occurred on July 22, 2019 in Sainte-Élisabeth, in Lanaudière.
His trial, which began at the beginning of the month at the Joliette courthouse, revived in many the memory of another case that had caused a lot of ink to flow.
On June 27, 2010, Emma Czornobaj stopped in the middle of Highway 30, in the left lane, to save baby ducks circulating on the road. The young woman, then 22 years old, wanted to take them home.
But a motorcyclist who was following her then drove straight towards her vehicle, not noticing the obstacle in her lane. André Roy, 50, died, as did his 16-year-old daughter Jessie, who was riding behind him. This collision occurred in front of the victims’ wife and mother, who was following them on her own motorcycle in the right lane.
“To my knowledge, this is the second case in Quebec involving ducks. The first was the so-called duck girl. It caught the imagination. We have a natural sympathy for animals, ”launched Éric Rondeau’s lawyer, Monday during his argument.
Me Richard Dubé quickly explained the circumstances of the collision caused by Emma Czornobaj, without however recalling that the young woman had then been found guilty, in addition to having been sentenced to a prison term and a driving ban for a period of 10 years.
The criminal lawyer took this case as an example in order to show the jurors that, unlike Ms.me Czornobaj, his client had been “cautious”.
“But what she was doing there was extremely dangerous. Stopping on the freeway in the left lane is not okay. If Mr. Rondeau had gone to the other side to avoid the ducks, it wouldn’t work,” he pleaded.
His client indeed came to tell the jury that he had found himself in the way of the motorcyclist “by mistake”. According to him, the collision was an accident.
The Crown, represented by Mr.e Alexandre Dubois and Jade Coderre, is rather of the opinion that the man made a dangerous maneuver, which led to the death of the victim, Félix-Antoine Gagné.
Moreover, just as Emma Czornobaj had done at his trial, Éric Rondeau tried to blame the deceased motorcyclist, insisting on the speed at which he was driving, a few seconds before the tragedy.
However, Mr. Rondeau showed more empathy than the young woman who said she stopped where she felt there was no risk. According to her, the motorcyclist should have seen her outside her vehicle chasing the baby ducks and thus avoided her.
– The jury at Éric Rondeau’s trial has just begun its deliberations. Jurors will have to agree unanimously whether the defendant’s actions posed a danger to the public and whether his conduct contributed “significantly” to the death of the victim.