An impatient driver who aggressively overtook cars at a pedestrian crossing and killed a cyclist has been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.
• Read more: Cyclist seriously injured: A driver says it was a “stupid” accident
• Read more: Cyclist tragically hit: An “impatient” driver who “aggressively” stopped before a pedestrian could cross overtaking cars.
On July 23, 2020, Mohammed Ali Mahmoudi was driving his Mercedes E400 on Jacques-Cartier Boulevard West in Longueuil. Ahead of him, several vehicles slowed as they approached a pedestrian crossing.
The accused suddenly made his way between the two lanes.
“He really sped up a lot, donkey [du véhicule] Crushed, he drove at full speed towards the cycle lane,” said a witness.
But at the same time, a cyclist was crossing the boulevard. Then the accused’s Mercedes hit him head on. The victim was thrown high into the air, before collapsing to the ground. The victim, Rene Tremblay, 52, later succumbed to his injuries.
Other road users who witnessed the entire collision described the driver’s sudden maneuver as a mistake in court.
“He overtook on impulse, to try to save time. I think it was a movement of impatience,” described Simon Bouchard.
René Tremblay was mortally wounded on July 23, 2020 in Longueuil. Courtesy Lajeunesse Funeral Home Fortin Cenac
Another motorist, who signaled to cross after stopping the bicycle, was alerted by the roar of the Mercedes car.
“I heard the engine revving as you were accelerating, I looked in my rearview mirror and I saw a car cutting between the two lanes and I saw it coming,” testified Jean-Francois Beauchemin.
It was just a “stupid and unfortunate” accident, and the victim was the architect of her own misfortune, considering she didn’t activate the car’s flashing lights, trying to prove the pedestrian crossing and the presence of methamphetamine. in his blood. The concentration level was considered therapeutic.
However, for Judge Dominic Dudmain, the accused, by his conduct, created a danger.
“Clearly, the accused was going too fast to react adequately to the danger observed by other drivers,” he concluded.
According to him, a diligent driver, before performing such a maneuver, would have first taken into account the layout of the premises, signs and the limits of his field of vision, which “contrast” to the behavior of others around him.
The 63-year-old accused was acquitted of the charge due to criminal negligence.
Sentencing will take place this fall.
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