MARIGOT--Another young man has lost his life in a scooter accident, this time on the RN7 near Grand Case on Monday, April 29, at around 9:00pm, Gendarmes are appealing for witnesses.
The accident involved the scooter and a car. According to the Prosecutor’s release, both the car and the scooter were travelling in the same direction towards Hope Estate on the RN7 bypass. The scooter attempted to pass the car on the left, but noticed a vehicle coming towards him in the opposite direction so pulled back on to the right side with little room and in doing so hit the car door on the driver-side and ripped off the wing mirror.
This caused the scooter rider to lose control of his vehicle which then veered across the road out of control before crashing into a concrete EDF meter wall.
Despite the intervention of the emergency services and a doctor present on the scene, the young man's death was reported. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital in a state of shock; the latter's blood alcohol test turned out to be negative.
For the purposes of the investigation, the Gendarmerie is currently taking evidence and inviting potential witnesses to come forward. It said in a separate statement that it sympathises with families in the face of this latest tragedy which is causing St. Martin to mourn again.
It added a call for vigilance and compliance with safety rules has been renewed. The next Road Safety Forum organised by the institutional and associative partners will take place on May 14 and 16 in St. Martin, and should be an opportunity to raise collective awareness of the dangers of the road particularly for two-wheelers.
On Saturday, April 27, 2019, in the early evening, a violent altercation took place at the intersection of RN7 and Route de Pic Paradis between young St. Martiners and off-duty Gendarmes. An off-duty Gendarme was slightly injured in the scalp by a stone thrown at him. Since then, several videos have appeared on social networks and strongly commented on.
An investigation under the authority of the Basse-Terre Prosecutor's Office was opened to receive complaints and determine the possible criminal liability of the participants in the altercation. The judicial inquiry will undoubtedly shed light on the exact circumstances of this event.
