The wife of a man who died after a violent evasive maneuver near Laurier station in Chaudière-Appalaches barely had time to tell him she loved him before he succumbed to his injuries.
• Also read: [PHOTOS] Laurier Station: A driver is killed in a violent evasive maneuver
Stanley O’Quinn, his wife Cindy and their son were on their way to where they live in Prince Edward Island when the tragedy struck around 5:30pm on Wednesday.
They were on their way home from visiting their daughter in Ontario when they returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic. But the weather cocktail that hit Quebec that same day gave them no chance.
“We drove onto an ice surface and Stanley lost control. The van landed on its bonnet, in a ditch,” explains Ms O’Quinn in English, who was contacted by Le Journal.
Photo from Cindy O’Quinn’s Facebook
They were then near kilometer 280 on Highway 20, near Laurier station. According to the authorities, the road conditions in this section were particularly bad during the evasive maneuver.
A waking nightmare
Miraculously, Cindy O’Quinn and her son escaped virtually unharmed. But the 67-year-old pensioner wasn’t that lucky.
“After the accident, I asked him if he was okay. He told me he had trouble breathing. I had time to tell him I love you, then the ambulance got us out of the car,” his wife says, her voice shaking.
These are the last words the couple exchanged. According to her daughter, Lindsay, Stanley O’Quinn died instantly of a heart attack. The paramedics didn’t even have time to take him to the hospital.
“It’s just a waking nightmare,” the couple’s daughter whispers.
PHOTO AGENCY QMI, RENÉ LECLERC
A man loved by all
The next few days will be bleak for Cindy O’Quinn and her son, who must deal with insurance, car rentals, housing and the paperwork that comes with the death of a loved one as they find themselves more than 1000km from home .
“We have to wait until Tuesday for my husband’s cremation before we can bring him back to Ontario for the memorial service,” sighs Ms. O’Quinn, who took a taxi to the scene of the accident.
“Stanley was an incredible man, a big teddy bear who was loved by everyone and made friends wherever he went,” his wife emotionally concludes.
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