St-Jerome, Que. — A 59-year-old man was charged with drunk driving causing death after an 18-year-old man was rammed by a speeding car and embedded in the windshield for nearly an hour.
Gilles Francoeur, of Ste-Adele, Que., faces a total of eight charges after the death early Saturday of Nicholas Fortin.
Mr. Francoeur was also charged Monday with refusing to provide aid after the car sped off following the fatal collision. He also faces two counts of drunk driving causing injury after two other people were struck and seriously hurt. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mr. Francoeur will remain behind bars pending his next court appearance, scheduled for Aug. 28.
The incident happened around 3 a.m. Saturday when a car hurtled into a group of about 50 people leaving a bar near Ste-Adele, about 70 kilometres north of Montreal.
As the car sped away, a woman noticed one of her male friend's shoes on the road but saw he was missing. The missing man had crashed headfirst through the windshield beside the driver, said police.
Some people chased the fleeing car but lost it. It was found again about an hour later and forced to the side of the road, with the victim still lodged in the windshield.
One of the victims suffered injuries to his arm and leg and will be confined to a wheelchair until December.
The incident is a tragedy for everyone, Mr. Francoeur's lawyer Sylvain Berube said Monday.
"It's a tragic event for the victim and the victim's family, and for my client who today has no record," he told LCN, the French-language television channel.
