Two fatal collisions on the roads of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

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The truck caught fire after the impact, but the driver suffered minor injuries.

Radio-Canada

Traffic is disrupted on Route 172 due to a fatal accident which occurred Thursday evening at kilometer 60, near Sainte-Rose-du-Nord.

A vehicle traveling eastbound reportedly veered out of its lane to hit a heavy truck coming in the opposite direction. The accident occurred around 10:30 p.m.

The truck caught fire after the impact. The person driving the car died instantly.

What we understand from the event is that speed is probably a significant contributing factor during the collision, explains Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu. What we know is that the driver, a 53-year-old man from Jonquière, deviated from his lane. He was heading east to collide head-on with the heavy vehicle which was coming in the opposite direction.

The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital as a precaution. The road is closed in both directions because there was a diesel spill on the roadway.

Environment emergency and specialists from the Ministry of Transport are on site to clean the road.

A 29-year-old man died in an accident that occurred after midnight on Route 155, at kilometer 172, in the Lac du Chien area.

The 17-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle which rolled several times and ended up in the ditch. The driver suffered minor injuries. He would have fallen asleep at the wheel, according to the police's initial findings.

Part of the investigation will be to actually determine the exact circumstances of the event. What caused you to fall asleep? Is it fatigue or even weakened abilities? But it is too early to establish anything at present, specifies Hugues Beaulieu.

As for the passenger, he was ejected from the car and died on the spot.

With information from Catherine Paradis and Louis Martineau