A 60-year-old man died this Monday morning in Argenteuil (Val-d'Oise), knocked down by a heavy goods vehicle.
He died instantly, passing under the wheels of a dump truck.
The accident occurred around 9:30 a.m. on the Route de Pontoise, the D 392. The truck driver was stopped at a traffic light when it turned green.
He started again without seeing the pedestrian who, according to the first testimonies collected, crossed frankly in front of his wheels at the same time.
Also read: Sonia, 31, fatally hit by a car in Sarcelles: “Her daughter has lost her only reference point”
The victim was struck before passing under the truck.
The emergency services, alerted, could do nothing to save the pedestrian.
According to our information, the driver of the truck, who was taken care of after the accident by the police, was placed in police custody at the Argenteuil police station.
The man reportedly tested positive for drugs.
An investigation has been opened for manslaughter, which will help determine the precise circumstances of the tragedy.
Nearly a third of road deaths are pedestrians
Pedestrians pay a heavy price on the roads.
In Île-de-France, during the year 2023, they represented 29.9% of road deaths.
Half of the victims were over 65 years old.
The road also caused 3,000 injuries among them in 2023, 20 to 30% of whom will have lifelong consequences, according to Christian Machu, president of the 60 million pedestrians association.
According to him, more than 60% of serious accidents take place on a pedestrian crossing.
On October 29, in Sarcelles, a young motorist mowed down a group of pedestrians who were at the time in the middle of the road, outside any pedestrian crossing and in an unlit area, perhaps obstructed by a car. who followed him.
The accident left four dead: two men, aged 52 and 62, and two women, aged 31 and 66, who were leaving an event organized by the Haitian community.