Doom for two passionate drivers

Two hard workers who did not know each other, but who adored their trades, had a tragic end in a violent head-on collision on Highway 117, in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, early Saturday.

“It’s a path he knew very well. The road has played a trick on him … We are not supposed to see our children die, ”breathes Daniel Larouche, whose 31-year-old son, Jean-Philippe, died in this accident in Val-d’Or.

• Read also: Two dead after a head-on collision in Val-d’Or

Driving his van around 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, the mechanic drove to the Malartic mine where he had worked for two years.

“This job was a dream for him,” says his father, moved. His truck was his work tool. He was doing figures of 12 hours per day for two weeks in Abitibi and returned to Quebec where he lived for two more weeks, ”continues Mr. Larouche.

On the Thompson Bridge, Jean-Philippe Larouche deviated from his lane for a reason still unknown. Mr. Larouche maintains, however, that the presence of black ice was mentioned by the police.

“It looks like the bridge was completely icy,” he said. The 117 has a bad reputation. It’s a road well traitor. “

It was at this moment that the vehicle of the young thirty-something struck a heavy weight which was traveling in the opposite direction. A third vehicle struck the back of the truck. The driver got away without injury.

Under the violence of the impact, the van caught fire. Jean-Philippe Larouche did not manage to get out on time.

“It’s even more awful. His whole body was burned, drop his father. They are not even able to identify it. But we know it’s him because it’s his truck. “

The driver of the truck, Marco Boivin, 56, was taken to a hospital in serious condition. He is also deceased.

The Blainville resident was also a regular on Route 117.

“He went to Abitibi every week. He left at 7 a.m. every Sunday. He really knew the road well, ”says his roommate, friend and“ brother ”of Alcoholics Anonymous, Éric Thiébaut.

Marco Boivin had been a truck driver for three or four years. He had left a career in real estate to redirect himself to this job “which made him proud”, says his friend. He worked for C&C Transportation in Sainte-Thérèse.

Around 4 p.m. on Friday, the fiftieth birthday left Blainville to transport essential goods to the Sobeys in Rouyn-Noranda.

“It’s frustrating, loose Mr. Thiébault. He wasn’t even supposed to work. He had to take three days off. But because of COVID and the containment of the regions, his boss has asked him to return to work. He agreed to help his employer. He was like that, Marco, he had his heart in his hand. “

“He didn’t stop during the pandemic,” he continues. At the wheel of his truck, one of our angels died. “

Route 117, which stretches from Montreal to Rouyn-Noranda, is the only road link between the Hautes-Laurentides and Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Year after year, its record is disastrous. Between 2014 and 2019, 1,734 accidents were recorded on route 117, causing nearly 600 injuries and 17 deaths, according to data collected by our Bureau of Investigation.