An RCMP Constable holds a breathalyzer test in Surrey, B.C., in this September 24, 2010 photo. A Quebec coroner’s report has found that witnesses failed to report a drunk driver getting behind the wheel, leading to a fatal collision that caused the death of a family of four north of Quebec City in 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
MONTREAL – A Quebec coroner is questioning why people who saw a drunk driver get behind the wheel failed to call authorities before he got into a crash that killed four members of a family north of Quebec City last year.
The report by coroner Donald Nicole says multiple witnesses saw Éric Légaré drinking at a bar all afternoon and subsequently driving erratically, but only one person called police.
Evidence showed Légaré was driving at least 130 kilometres an hour in a 70 km/h zone when he crashed into another vehicle stopped at a red light, killing a man, his adult daughter and her two children.
In April, Légaré was sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to several charges, including impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death.
Blood sample analyses taken after the crash showed that Légaré’s blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit and he also had traces of cannabis in his blood.
The coroner says that through his discussions with alcohol awareness groups, he learned that very few people intervene when they witness a drunk driver get behind the wheel.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2022.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
