On Sunday afternoon around 3:45 p.m., a vehicle crashed into a residence on Bellevue Street in Rivière-du-Loup. The accident forced emergency services to undertake a delicate intervention to rescue the two people who were trapped in the passenger compartment after the impact.
When first responders arrived, the SUV-like vehicle was completely buried under an impressive wooden structure. It was the porch of the house that he had just violently destroyed.
It took several minutes – about forty – before the various emergency services managed to safely free the victims from the car, which was attached to the foundation of the house. Firefighters and paramedics worked together to make this operation a success in front of many spectators.
“Part of the gallery had penetrated the interior of the car. We had to remove it very carefully before we could get the victims out,” explained David Beaulieu, head of operations at the Rivière-du-Loup fire department. The two passenger doors were also removed by the fire department.
“It was very sensitive, but a good intervention under the circumstances.”
According to our information, the occupants were very lucky as certain parts of the structure penetrated the car several meters. The two unconscious individuals were treated by paramedics and transported to Grand-Portage Regional Hospital Center (CHRGP). We are not afraid for their lives.
As for the causes of the accident, witnesses confirmed to the Sûreté du Québec that the vehicle came from Rue Lafontaine. It was said that the driver did not stop at the mandatory stop due to a mechanical defect or a mix-up of the brake and accelerator pedals.