A man who lost his wife and daughter in a violent collision in Estrie last spring doesn’t know if he will ever be able to forgive the driver who, heavily intoxicated, managed to fail her breathalyzer test and get behind the wheel.
• Also read: Two dead and three injured, including two children, in a crash in Farnham
• Also read: Fatal accident in Farnham: Death of a driver brings the death toll to three dead and two injured
“It gave me a slap in the face,” says Pierre-Yves Lafrance. An accident is an accident. “It’s much more difficult to forgive when it comes to alcohol.”
According to the coroner’s report released this week, Jolyane Duguay was driving her vehicle while impaired when she crashed into the car carrying Diane Mann, 66, and Sophie Lafrance, 37, in Farnham last May. The latter died a few days after the collision.
The 33-year-old driver was also killed in the accident. Her blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit, toxicology tests showed.
Jolyane Duguay died in the collision last May. Photo from Jolyane Duguay’s Facebook account
Two of Ms. Duguay’s little girls, also passengers in the vehicle, escaped with serious injuries.
Unacceptable
The woman, who suffered from a drinking problem, “probably” had the help of “a third party” to deactivate the alcohol ignition interlock in her vehicle before setting off, said coroner Donald Nicole.
The Sûreté du Québec was unable to provide further information on the matter on Thursday.
“It’s even more cruel,” lamented the 68-year-old Mr. Lafrance.
The police investigation also revealed that Ms. Duguay, who was returning from an evening at a friend’s house, later swerved on the road and almost hit a first vehicle on a curve. Then she did the irretrievable.
The collision that occurred in Farnham last May was incredibly violent. Photo agency QMI, Pascal Girard
“With all the advertising campaigns that the government is running against alcohol and then, boom, you lose two people because the other driver was drunk, that is not acceptable in 2023,” laments Mr. Lafrance.
Waves of love
Nevertheless, in his grief, the sixty-year-old is grateful for the “waves of love” that emanate from those around him.
“People really told us that my wife was a generous and kind person who stood up for everyone,” says the man, who is celebrating 45 years of marriage to Diane Mann this year.
Sophie Lafrance died alongside her mother Diane Mann from injuries sustained after a head-on collision in Farnham last May. Screenshot from GoFundMe “For the publication of Sophie’s first book”
As for Sophie Lafrance, her brother started a fundraising campaign so that her book-writing project could see the light of day. A market launch could take place in December.
“It’s easy to say that she had a dream and we fulfilled it for her,” sums up her father, emphasizing that “people are irreplaceable.”
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