ACCIDENT-A7 - Monday, 20 July, a tragic road accident has claimed the lives of five children on the A7 motorway, at the level of Albon (Drome). The public prosecutor of Valencia has required, Friday, 24 July, the opening of a judicial investigation against X for "manslaughter and involuntary injury".

Summary the origin of The accident victims from the same family, The Scénic is an issue

[updated July 26, 2020 at 17h35] Monday 20 July, a terrible road accident has killed five children, aged 3 to 14 years, on the A7 at the level of Albon (Drome). The four survivors, three adults and a child of 7 years old, are still hospitalized : their vital prognosis is engaged. A failure of the turbo Scénic, model car of Renault, could be the cause of the tragedy. Launched on the highway, the vehicle had caught fire. He then made barrels and set alight in a field, " says the Voice of The North. The lawyer for the bereaved family, Nicolas Cellupica, believes that Renault must answer "for its actions and its responsibilities ". The public prosecutor of Valencia has decided to open a judicial information of the heads of involuntary homicide and involuntary injury.

due to the tragic accident on the A7, in the Drôme Monday 20 July, which killed five children, the prefecture of the Vosges has changed his schedule leading a prevention action on the area of Sandaucourt, on the A31. Saturday, the mounties have "exchanged with the holiday makers", to remind them of the essential rules in terms of road safety, " said major Lostetter, deputy commander of the Squadron departmental road safety. "We want to do education on several areas related to road safety, including speed, addictive behaviors, new technologies. And it makes them aware of the importance of regular rest, especially at this time of departure on holiday", he says. "Usually we do this prevention campaign later, at the grand chassé-croisé between the juillettistes and aoûtiens. We have held opportune, given the drama on the A7 on Monday to advance to the event and to do so at this time, where there is a lot of traffic on the roads," says his side the director of cabinet of the prefect of the Vosges, Ottman Zaïr.

The malfunction would not be an isolated case

While the public prosecutor of Valencia has required, Friday, 24 July, the opening of a judicial investigation against X for "manslaughter and involuntary injury", master Cellupica said on BFMTV to have received "dozens and dozens of testimonials, either phone calls or emails at the office, people owners of vehicles Renault Scénic, with a diesel engine turbo, to which it is happened the same dysfunction". The lawyer has also argued that the federal Union of consumers, UFC-que choisir, had alerted on the problems of this engine as early as 2006. In addition, the lawyer believes that "we have found case law that condemns Renault for a hidden defect on this part of the engine", he said.

In a press release, the renault brand has shared his "intense emotion" and that it would "naturally in the investigations". However, Renault has not responded to the intent of the lawyer to file a complaint, or the allegations of failure of its model Scénic. "I think the investigation was very hasty to say that it is the turbo that has let go", has nonetheless been estimated Benjamin Cuq, author of "the black Book of Renault", on BFMTV. The automotive journalist has justified his remarks by adding that "a turbo that is loose, it is a loss, a deceleration. You end up with an engine anémié, you drive to 80 instead of 120". And to conclude : "The vehicle date of 2005, it must be remembered. What of his condition ? What about its maintenance ? The responsibility, she is also the individual", he added.

What is known about the circumstances of the accident

The accident on that stretch of highway at the level of Albon, in the north of the Drôme region, occurred in the early evening on Monday 20 July 2020. Nine people were aboard the vehicle : six children, between 3 and 14 years old, and three adults. The weather, calm Monday evening, does not seem to have been involved in the accident, which took place in the south to the north of the A7 motorway. According to the story of Alex Perrin, the prosecutor of the Republic of Valencia, the vehicle was "clearly" caught fire, before the driver lost control and it went "over". According to the prefect of the Drôme, on the surveillance cameras, "we see the smoke, the vehicle starts taking fire. Obviously the driver has sought to put on the tape emergency stop. But the brakes have not worked", explained Hugues Moutouh on Franceinfo.

The accident victims are all from the same family

The accident occurred on Monday evening on the A7 motorway, therefore, has caused the death of five children, aged 3 to 14 years. In total, nine people were present in the vehicle. The other four, one child and three adults are injured and three of them, including the child, are in a state of absolute emergency. It is a native family of Vénissieux, in the suburbs of Lyon. The prosecutor of Valencia Alex Perrin reported that the driver, still alive, was the father of the family. He was travelling with his four children, their mother, and a sister-in-law with two children.

question about the Renault Scénic

The family was travelling in a Renault Grand Scénic, 2005. In this vehicle seven seats, nine people were on board. However, "the cause of the accident is clearly not in the number of persons on board, this clearly is a technical reason," said the prosecutor at the microphone of France Blue. According to BFMTV, the turbo motor had failures. These technical problems are at the origin of the fire starting, and problems braking. As mentioned earlier, questions arise as to the reliability of this model after the accident and in this sense, testimonies of owners have confirmed that it was an existing problem.

BFMTV has interviewed one of them, who is said to have had the "fear of his life". "In a few seconds, the engine is over-revving, over 4 500 rpm. Then, there was the smoke, the roar of the engine, I was able to disengage and leave the vehicle on the tape emergency stop", he said, adding he brought a claim. And according to a survey of Europe 1, this failure is well known to mechanics. Taking the example of a motorist who has experienced the same scenario, they told the radio that the mechanic who has taken care of his car, the turbo was "the tare of the Grand Scénic 2".

Date Of Update: 26 July 2020, 13:57