(Joliette) Éric Rondeau stopped on a bend to let ducks cross the road. When restarting, there was a fatal collision. An unfortunate “accident” caused by a speeding motorcyclist and a “claw” corner, the defense said. An obviously dangerous manoeuvre, pleaded the crown.
Posted at 4:46 p.m
The lawyers presented their latest arguments at Éric Rondeau’s trial at the Joliette Courthouse on Monday. The 47-year-old agronomist is accused of causing the death of a 19-year-old motorcyclist, Félix-Antoine Gagné, by making public appearances on Route 345 in Sainte-Élisabeth, near Joliette, on July 22, 2019 drove dangerously.
A family of ducks is at the center of the process. Éric Rondeau drove his F-150 pickup and stopped for a few seconds to let the birds cross. In order to avoid them, he got completely into the oncoming lane in a curve. At the time, he was traveling at 18 km/h and his vision was limited. The motorcyclist could not avoid it. An impressive video presented to the jury shows the entire scene.
Crown prosecutor Me Alexandre Dubois was in full swing. Suddenly he stopped talking. Eight seconds of silence. “That pause we just took, that’s it, eight seconds,” he told the jury.
These eight seconds represent the time that elapsed between the defendant beginning his evasive maneuver and the moment he saw the motorcycle.
Éric Rondeau told the jury that during that time he never looked ahead when circling the ducks. He claims to have his eyes glued to his back. He therefore unknowingly found himself going in the opposite direction.
A sane person, the Crown suggests, would not have “turned blindly around a corner without looking where to go” if there was a straight line 500 meters behind them.
“The sane person would have waited for the ducks to finish the crossing or left by staying in his lane,” pleaded Me Dubois, who joins forces with Me Jade Coderre.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Crown Prosecutor, Me Alexandre Dubois
A simple “accident” for the defense
For the defense, it’s all just an “accident”. Éric Rondeau was “caught” by the curve trying to avoid the birds, Me Richard Dubé asked.
“Put yourself in his shoes, it could have happened to you. Life on the street is complicated. A criminal act is reckless behavior or a foolish decision, and we’re not in it for Mr. Rondeau,” Me Dubé said.
The defense attorney even urged the jury to avoid a “miscarriage of justice.” A remark that forced the judge to issue a special instruction to the jury.
Me Dubé also blamed the victim, insisting that the young motorcyclist drove “way too fast” while his client was “very careful”.
The defense also accuses prosecution witnesses of having reduced the speed of the motorcycle. An expert estimated that the motorcyclist was traveling between 90 and 100 km/h before applying the brakes.
“We have a natural sympathy for animals. No one is going to say to Mr Rondeau: you should have passed on the ducks,” the defense attorney said.
Judge Marc-André Blanchard will give the jury his final deliberation instructions on Tuesday.