Archive | The Les Éboulements bus accident was 25 years ago
The Éboulements tragedy is the deadliest road accident in Canadian history.
October 13 In 1997, an unfortunate bus accident took the lives of 44 people in the Charlevoix region. A look back at the deadliest road tragedy in Canadian history.
A terrible disaster has occurred in Charlevoix, announces host Maxence Bilodeau on the Téléjournal of October 13, 1997.
On this day of the Action of thanks, 47 members of a golden age club traveled to L'Isle-aux-Coudres as part of an excursion to admire the fall colors.
Leaving the village of Les Éboulements, the coach carrying them missed a curve at the bottom of a steep slope and crashed at the bottom of a deep ravine.
The passengers almost all came from the same village, Saint-Bernard, in Beauce. Provisional balance sheet: 43 people died and 5 survivors. One of them later succumbed to her injuries after being transported to the Enfant-Jésus Hospital in Quebec.
Report by Ghislain Beaulieu on the circumstances of the bus accident on the steep descent between Les Éboulements and St-Joseph-de-la-Rive. The newscast is presented by Maxence Bilodeau.
Most of the victims died instantly, as the images of the heavy vehicle, which is no more than a pile of scrap metal. Near the scene of the accident, the rescuers had to spread the bodies next to each other.
Ambulances throughout the region have been requisitioned, mentions journalist Ghislain Beaulieu in his report to Téléjournal. We are now trying to understand what could have happened.
Nicknamed the great coast, this section of the road that leads to Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive is considered dangerous. The citizens of the village of Les Éboulements interviewed by the journalist are appalled, but not really surprised.
Exactly in the same place, another deadly bus accident occurred in 1974.
Report by Gilles Payette recalling a another bus accident in 1974 on the steep descent from Les Éboulements to St-Joseph-de-la-Rive. The news bulletin is presented by Maxence Bilodeau.
In a second report on Téléjournalof October 13, 1997, the journalist Gilles Payette looks back on the bus accident of Saturday June 1, 1974.
The accident left 13 dead and 24 injured on this same long hill des Éboulements and in similar circumstances. In this case, the coach also had on board about forty members of a group from the golden age who was going to L'Isle-aux-Coudres.
The investigators had then determined that a mechanical problem was at the origin of this tragedy.
Journalist Gilles Payette also draws a parallel with another bus accident which occurred on the 4 August 1978, this time in Estrie.
The bus transporting a group of disabled people plunged into Lac d'Argent in Eastman. 40 passengers were drowned.
Once again, a mechanical problem had been identified as responsible for the carnage.
Report by Nicole Germain who reviews the bus accident at Les Éboulements and the measures that were taken following the public inquiry into this tragedy.
As recalled by this report by Nicole Germain on the program Le Québec en directof October 13, 2002, a public inquiry will be held following the Éboulements bus accident.
The day after the tragedy, Prime Minister Lucien Bouchard went to place. When you take a look at the scene of the accident, it is obvious that you want to be able to modify the scene if possible, he says then. He will make the decision to act quickly, without necessarily waiting for the conclusions of the investigation.
In his report, Coroner Luc Malouin makes some twenty recommendations, most of which target the transportation industry and vehicle maintenance. His investigation reveals in particular that the coach transporting the Golden Age Club of Saint-Bernard was not in good mechanical condition and that the accident could have been avoided. .
Although it does not appear in the recommendations, a new route has also been developed to reduce the elevation of the Grande Côte des Éboulements. Construction work that raises some controversy among citizens.
Some will defend that a tank was used to kill a fly. There are fewer surprises at the end of the hill, points out a resident of Les Éboulements, but the drop remains the same and the driver's approach must be just as careful as before.
The mayor of Les Éboulements believes that the government had to act to protect the region's fragile tourism industry.
Reassuring as it may seem, the new coast has not succeeded in completely bringing back the tourist clientele of seniors, underlines journalist Nicole Germain in this report. On the other hand, the tragedy had no consequences for foreign tourism, she concluded in 2002.
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