A two-year-old lost his life Saturday night in a collision on private property in the municipality of Irlande, near Thetford Mines, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region.
Around 8:15 p.m., emergency services responded to a call reporting a collision involving an excavator and a child on private land along Route 165, according to information from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ).
“When they arrived on the scene, the police were unfortunately unable to confirm the death of the child,” said Sergeant Frédéric Deshaies, spokesman for the SQ.
The driver of the vehicle, a man in his twenties, was met by investigators, as were the victim’s neighbours and relatives.
The driver was later released with a promise to appear in court at a later date.
The SQ’s Major Crime Investigation Division is conducting an investigation, supported by a reconstructionist dispatched to the scene to understand the circumstances that led to this tragedy.
“Under the Coroners Act, there is always an investigation by the Major Crime Investigation Division of the SQ when a young child dies,” said another SQ spokeswoman, Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, Sunday morning.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
