collision

By Trevor Greenway and Madeline Kerr

A man in his late 60s from Kazabazua has died following a crash involving a motorcycle and a truck on Hwy 105 Aug. 2. 

According to Kazabazua firefighter Melanie Irwin, who was among the first on the scene, the crash happened at around 6:30 p.m. as a young male driver was turning into a driveway off Hwy 105 he collided with the bike. Irwin said she was en route to the accident when she learned that the motorcyclist was receiving CPR on the side of the road. 

“I’m heading down, and then I can hear on the CB radio the deputy chief is asking 911 if they have any details, and they said, ‘It’s a motorcycle and a truck, and they’re doing CPR,’ and I knew it was bad,” said Irwin. “Right in front of the truck, there was a paramedic who was on her way to Gracefield to take over the shift in the ambulance, and she saw it happen in her rearview mirror and stopped, pulled him out of the ditch and started CPR in the driveway.”

When firefighters arrived, they continued CPR, and Irwin connected a defibrillator to his chest. But it was too late. The man’s injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

“The fire chief from Low started doing chest compressions, and I grabbed the defibrillator, cut the guy’s shirt off, put the pads on and there was nothing. He was gone,” she said.

Officers from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) continue to investigate. According to information officer Marc Tessier no criminal charges have been laid, and it could take the SQ weeks to determine if there was any wrongdoing on the part of the young male driver. 

Following the accident, Irwin was parking the firetruck back at the municipal hall when a woman approached and asked why the highway was closed. When Irwin told her there was an accident, the woman asked, “Did it involve a motorcycle?”

Irwin immediately asked the woman if she was expecting someone travelling on a motorbike, and the woman replied that her husband was driving up to their new Kazabazua home, and he was travelling on a BMW motorcycle. After conversing for a few more moments, Irwin was able to confirm the man’s name and that it was her husband who died on the highway. But, according to Irwin, she was in no position, nor authority, to deliver this tragic news to his wife. 

“What do I say to her?” asked a shaken Irwin. “They just moved here from Cantley. They just retired, and she is about to have the worst day of her life. That really hurt. I didn’t know what to say.”

Irwin said she remained professional, and told the woman to consult the SQ for information, but she said she knew what kind of heartbreaking news they would give her. 

The SQ has not confirmed the name of the deceased driver. The Low Down has chosen not to name him out of respect for the family. 

The accident is part of what the SQ is calling the worst construction holiday in a decade, as 38 people died in 30 collisions across the province from July 18 to Aug. 3. The death toll of 38 for this year is nearly double last year’s 17 deaths over the construction holiday. 

Locally, numbers have remained relatively low, according to Tessier, who said that the fatal accident in Kazabazua was the only one to occur in the region during the construction holiday. 

“Still, one is too many,” Tessier added.