Residents “
paratified
” by such a scene.
Monday morning, four retirees lost their lives in a road accident, struck down by a car at the entrance to the village of Steenbecque (North).
The driver has since been taken into custody.
Residents, for their part, protest against the dangerousness of this section of road, but also question the veracity of the driver's words.
What happened ?
It was just 9 a.m. when four retirees set off for a fitness walk on rue de l'Aire, just outside the village of Steenbecque.
As they walk on the sidewalk along the road, they are violently hit by a car, on a straight section of road limited to 30 km/h.
“
I was in my bathrobe when I said to my husband: there is an unusual traffic jam with a bunch of trucks.
He went to look and said to me: There was an accident
,” Sabine, 52, told AFP along this busy road.
And added: “
There were four people on the ground crushed on the road.
» Three of the victims died at the site of the accident: a 77-year-old woman and a couple in their seventies.
A 70-year-old woman, transported in critical condition to the Lille hospital center, died a few hours later, around 2 p.m.
What do we know about the driver?
The 51-year-old driver lives in Marcq-en-Barœul, in the Lille region.
He explained that he had dozed off at the wheel, according to the sub-prefect of Dunkirk, François-Xavier Bieuville, who spoke of “
a light passenger vehicle [which] swerved at the exit of the village
”.
However, several testimonies from residents mention a “Porsche SUV”, as well as a “4X4”.
His blood tests for alcohol and drugs both came back negative.
Since 9 a.m. Monday, he has been in police custody for “
involuntary homicide by a driver
”.
“
Other investigations are being carried out in parallel, in particular for the purposes of hearing witnesses and technical and scientific expertise, in order to clarify the circumstances of this accident
,” the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office clarified in the press release.
To piece together the puzzle, investigators from the Hazebrouck research brigade are launching a call for witnesses.
Anyone with information can contact 03 28 41 19 59.
Why do local residents doubt his version?
Questioned by our colleagues from
La Voix du Nord
,
Bruno, a resident of the town, affirms that the driver “
tried to overtake, but the traffic was too heavy.
» And added: “
For someone who was sleeping, he seemed wide awake.
» A feeling shared by Sabine, who detailed the scene to AFP: the driver “
was parked there with a kind of 4x4 (...) The car was well demolished in front and the guy serenely posed, on the phone.
I said: But what happened?
he answered me calmly: I fell asleep, I took the trash.
But it’s not possible, her version doesn’t hold up
,” she believes.
Is the road too dangerous?
In Sabine's eyes, this section of road has long been too dangerous, due to its proximity to houses as well as the speed with which motorists travel.
“
I am disgusted, I am angry, since we have been asking for a speed bump…
” Pierre Dubois, 66 years old, living in Steenbecque for 20 years also judges that speed is the main culprit: “
At least once on two
”, people do not respect the 30 km/h, he said.
“
Here, it has become the highway.
»
Sub-prefect François-Xavier Bieuville confirmed to the press that this portion of the road had already been identified as problematic.
“
There was a draft agreement between the municipality and the departmental council, which is in progress, with the aim of placing a device in one location in the municipality which should lead to a reduction in speed in the village.
»