Mont-Saint-Hilaire — What was to be a festive reveillon turned to tragedy in this off-island suburb in Quebec’s Montérégie region when a car driven by an 83-year-old woman backed into her 43-year-old son and crushed him to death.
His six-year-old daughter was a witness to the tragedy, which took place at 4:10 p.m. on Dec. 24.
The woman, with her husband in the passenger seat, was attempting to park her car on the sloped entryway to her son’s house; he was standing behind the car and guiding her when she struck him.
The victim’s parents were transported to hospital, where they are being treated for shock.
Officers with the Régie intermunicipale de police Richelieu-Saint-Laurent hypothesize that the driver might have stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake; there is also the possibility of a mechanical problem with the car. A inspection by experts is take place, probably during the week, to see if there are mechanical faults with the car. As well, witnesses of the tragic accident are to be interviewed.
The victim’s identity was not made public on Sunday because not all family members had yet been informed.
