Accused of causing the death of a motorist, in the opposite direction on the highway
The head-on collision took place on the Laurentian highway in Stoneham.
The identities of those involved in the fatal collision that occurred Sunday evening at Stoneham is now known, and one is facing serious charges.
Falanka-Yves Kiona, 52, appeared at the Quebec City courthouse on Monday to face two counts of impaired driving and dangerous driving causing death.
According to the police, it was he who was driving the vehicle which took the Laurentian highway in the opposite direction, before hitting another motorist.
The other driver is dead. This is Dominique Gauthier who was 47 years old.
Dominique Gauthier, 47 years old
Mr. Gauthier was a chef at pizzeria Milano, a restaurant located in Quebec.
Falanka-Yves Kiona appeared by telephone from the headquarters of the Sûreté du Québec, on boulevard Pierre-Bertrand.
According to the police, the driver at fault was driving northbound, on the traffic lanes leading south, when the collision occurred near boulevard du Lac, around 9:30 p.m.
The prosecutor for the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) Valérie Bélizaire-Joseph opposed the release of Kiona.
DPCP prosecutor, Me Valérie Bélizaire-Joseph
She raised the seriousness of the offenses and the public interest to justify the detention of the accused during the judicial process.
M . Kiona, who was represented by Me Nicolas Déry of the Legal Aid Office, is due back in court on Wednesday.
He could then request a release investigation. The prosecution has already announced that new charges could be brought, without disclosing the nature.
Falanka-Yves Kiona suffered minor injuries in the crash, and police obtained blood samples while he was at the hospital.
Their analysis will determine the suspect's alcohol level and could contribute to the prosecution's evidence.
Mr. Kiona, who has a minor criminal record, is in her first stint in criminal court on driving-related charges.
Kevin Forget attempted to rescue the victim.
Rescuer Kevin Forget arrived at the scene a few minutes after the accident.
He tried to help Dominique Gauthier.
I identified myself as a first aider, he said. The victim was unconscious, trapped in the car. I asked a passerby to immobilize his head.
According to him, he did not need to assist Falanka-Yves Kiona , who got out of the passenger compartment of his vehicle on his own.
He administered basic care to Dominique Gauthier, while awaiting the arrival of x27;an ambulance.
Unfortunately, we couldn't get her [the victim] out, we couldn't move her because she was immobilized in the vehicle.
Once help arrived, Kevin Forget said he was surprised by the attitude of Falanka-Yves Kiona at the scene of the tragedy.
“He had no didn't seem to be aware of what was going on, that he had just had a one-on-one, that he had potentially taken someone's life x27;a. »
— Kevin Forget
Dominique Gauthier's death joins that of a 59-year-old driver in similar circumstances last week.
A driver in his twenties hit Mario Fleury's vehicle as he was driving in the wrong direction on the Robert-Bourassa highway.
Mr. Fleury succumbed to his injuries and the police suspect the driver at fault of impaired driving.
The young man, however, suffered serious injuries and his condition has not yet been determined. permission to arrest him.
Two women who were in the vehicles were also injured.
With the collaboration by Audrey Paris, Guylaine Bussière and Raphaël Beaumont-Drouin
