A 22-year-old woman who was acting as the designated driver after a night out with friends was seriously injured and lost her partner in a violent head-on collision caused by a driver suspected of driving while impaired.

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“My daughter and her husband have done everything to act responsibly. And in a split second, their beautiful life plans were shattered, ”dropped Kathy Beaumier.

On the night of May 21 to 22, his daughter Vicky Beaumier was driving with her lover on Témiscamingue Boulevard in Rouyn-Noranda when their car was hit head-on by a vehicle coming in the opposite direction and which would have veered from his way.

Reverse

The force of the impact set the couple's vehicle on fire. Vicky managed to get out of the car despite the severity of her injuries. His companion, Yannik Duval, 23, remained a prisoner of the flames and died.

“My daughter has to fight to regain her health, but she also has to live with Yannik's death. A broken heart, it can not be healed, ”launched Kathy Beaumier.

Her daughter suffered multiple fractures to her legs, eight ribs, one hip and one foot. She also has a busted knee.

The other driver, a 22-year-old man from Rouyn-Noranda, was also seriously injured. Shortly before the fatal collision, he would have had erratic driving, having notably been seen driving in the opposite lane, we learned.

A blood sample was then taken. The Sûreté du Québec police will try to determine if he was driving with impaired abilities when he hit the car driven by Vicky.

Bad choice

“Accidents, I know it is possible. But if what happened to my daughter and Yannik is the fault of someone who made a bad choice, it is unacceptable, it could have been avoided, ”launched Kathy Beaumier.

On the evening of the tragedy, her daughter and her boyfriend were returning from an evening with friends in a sandpit. Yannik had been drinking, but not Vicky. The young man thus left his pick-up on the spot and returned home with his spouse.

It was halfway through that they were involved in the fatal collision.

With the summer just beginning and which will bring its share of festive events, Ms. Beaumier urges drivers to take responsibility.

“With proms, campground parties or BBQs coming up, we have to send out a message: light up! When we drink, we don't drive. Make the right choices,” she said.

“To those who want to take their car after drinking, I tell them: “have a thought for my daughter who is going to fight to regain her health. And to Yannik who is no longer there to continue his story with her,” added the mother.

Destroyed projects

In a relationship for five years, Yannik, who worked in a mine, and Vicky, who is doing a bachelor's degree in criminology, had recently owned a house.

“Their life projects were all set in motion, it’s a real shame. The family project was coming. They had bought the house in anticipation of this. They were a responsible little couple, they deserved to continue for a long time, ”said Kathy Beaumier, in tears.

"My daughter will have to rebuild her life, learn to live by accepting what she cannot change," whispered the mother.

Barely 22 years old, the driver who allegedly caused a fatal frontal collision in Abitibi-Témiscamingue is an offender who has accumulated serious violations of the Highway Safety Code since 2018 (see other text above).

Despite his young age, the individual has already had a heavy foot a few times, in addition to having driven irresponsibly and even when his license was suspended.

Reckless driving

In 2019, he had to pay a $1,000 fine for driving recklessly. The circumstances of this offense are unknown, but according to the Highway Safety Code, it is any speed or action likely to endanger the life or safety of a person.

This same time, he was not only driving recklessly, but he was doing it without having the right to, since he had lost his driver's license.

heavy foot

In the summer of 2018, in just a few weeks, he received three speeding tickets. Once, he drove at 120 km/h in a 90 zone, another time at 124 km/h in a 90 zone. He was also intercepted when he had reached the speed of 84 km/h while the allowed limit was 50.

In recent years, the young man has also, twice, been pinched by the police for failing to pay his registration.

We refrain from naming him since, for the moment, he is not facing any charges in connection with the fatal collision in Rouyn-Noranda, on May 22.