FREDERIC SERRE
The 1510 West

The Sûreté du Québec is continuing its investigation into a crash on Highway 40 in Baie d’Urfé last Friday that left a young motorcyclist dead.

The aim of the investigation is to determine whether a slow-moving loader travelling in a construction zone, excessive speed by the victim – or both – were factors in the accident.

Witnesses told the SQ that the motorcycle slammed into the rear of the loader shortly after 7 a.m. in the eastbound lane of the highway near Morgan Road. Officers were told that the loader was moving at a very slow speed in the eastbound lane in the middle of a construction zone.

Police, firefighters and paramedics raced to the scene, where the victim, described as a man in his early 20s, was declared dead. Police have not released the name of the motorcyclist.

The driver of the John Deere loader was not injured, but according to Ève Brochu-Joubert of the SQ, investigators were expected to meet with him to get his version of events.

The SQ closed two of the three lanes to traffic last Friday morning as investigators studied the scene, which caused a massive traffic jam until noon.