A motorcyclist of French origin who killed his passenger while drunk at the wheel has been sentenced to two years in prison, at the end of which he will be expelled from the country far from his child.
“He had a choice, he chose a bike knowing full well that his ability was impaired. I will never understand people who drive drunk and end up destroying lives,” said Nathalie Richer, shortly before the defendant who caused the death of his 27-year-old daughter made his way to prison.
On May 19, 2019, Jacques-Jean Sorgniard was working as a waiter in a bar in Val-David. He consumed alcohol throughout the evening, approximately from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m.
Archive photo
The tragedy happened on May 19, 2019 at 4:15 am in Val-David in the Laurentians.
In the middle of the night, after the bar was closed, he nevertheless decided to ride his Yamaha motorcycle, accompanied by Carolane Gaudreault-Richer, one of the customers at the bar with whom he had just feasted.
Only 15 minutes later he negotiated a curve badly. Sorgniard and his passenger were thrown into a water-filled ditch. Seriously injured, they were stuck there for almost 9 hours before they were discovered by a passer-by.
There the young woman drowned.
As she had no identification papers with her and Mr Sorgniard was in a terrible state, the authorities had great difficulty in identifying Carolane Gaudreault-Richer.
With kind approval
Carolanne Gaudreault-Richer, 27, was a chef.
“The next day, her husband was worried because he hadn’t heard from her. It was only when I read a newspaper article about the accident that evening that I understood that my daughter was involved,” Nathalie Richer confided to the journal.
Deported to France
Jacques-Jean Sorgniard, who was hospitalized for a long time for injuries, particularly to his legs, was arrested more than a year and a half after the tragedy.
Investigations revealed that he had almost twice the alcohol limit in his blood when he lost control of his motorcycle.
The 37-year-old man was sentenced to two years less a day’s imprisonment at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse last month. But the one who became a father four days after this fatal road trip received much more than a prison sentence.
Without Canadian citizenship, the man from France will also be automatically deported from the country, far from his three-year-old son, as he has been convicted of a serious crime.
“If he leaves prison, immigration officers are expected to take him to the Canadian Immigration Detention Center. And in the days after, he will be deported to France,” said his lawyer, Me Luc Carbonneau.
He will then be banned from returning to the country for five years.
Preventable Deaths
“He has to live with multiple consequences for someone who doesn’t have a criminal profile. This is a good example showing that this can happen to anyone who believes they are okay to drive,” the defense attorney commented.
For his part, Crown prosecutor Me Alexis Marcotte Bélanger wanted to denounce the scourge of drunk driving.
“We all dream of the day when similar cases don’t come to court. Alcohol and driving don’t go together, the message has to get across,” he hammered at Judge Sandra Blanchard, who agreed with the verdict.
He apologizes to the victim’s family
In the middle of the courtroom, just before he was sent to prison, a motorcyclist who killed his passenger while driving under the influence of alcohol insisted on asking the victim’s family for forgiveness.
“I’ve thought of you every moment since then. I wanted to get in touch, I was advised against it,” said Jacques-Jean Sorgniard, addressing Carolane Gaudreault-Richer’s relatives, who were sitting in the courtroom.
Interrupted by Judge Sandra Blanchard, who was visibly surprised by this unusual course of action, he explained that he had already reached out to his victim’s family outside the courtroom to express his condolences.
” I’m pissed off “
The judge then let him drive on and even offered the mother of the deceased 27-year-old to approach the defendant so she could hear what he had to say to her.
“I’m angry with myself every second. I know I made the worst choice. It was important to put a face to what torments me every day and I hope that can give you some relief,” he added through tears.
He also confided that he became a father barely four days after the tragedy, so said he’s since had “a little idea” of the impact of such a loss on the family.
Nathalie Richer, the victim’s mother, admitted to being “turned upside down” by encountering whoever caused her daughter’s death.
Not ready to forgive
“I still appreciate that he did it, it takes a lot of courage to face the people whose lives he broke. It allowed me to see the guilt he feels, he doesn’t care,” she said.
Despite everything, “this doesn’t erase his gesture,” insisted the one, who says she can’t forgive at the moment.
Especially since, despite the past few years, she is struggling to overcome this ordeal.
She is sorry that she was not lucky enough to see her daughter flourish, who started working as a chef after graduating in this field.
“She talked about getting married, having a kid. I have to mourn for who she would have been,” she breathed.