A young woman from Saguenay, whose half-brother was fatally hit by a drunk driver in July 2020 in Stoneham, wants to take advantage of the 28 Days Without Alcohol Challenge to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
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The man responsible for the death of Philippe Verreault went to the penitentiary last week.
“That evening he was celebrating his 26th birthday with his friends. He was walking back to the vehicle of the designated driver for the evening when the driver arrived and grabbed him. He died instantly, ”said Alexandra Tremblay, who hosts on weekdays on Kyk FM radio.
She will never forget this day in July 2020.
“I went to his Facebook page and there I saw that the happy birthday messages were transformed into a message of rest in peace. It does not describe what I felt, ”she explained, moved.
The young recidivist driver, who knew his victim, admitted his responsibility.
“Personally, I have never been angry because I knew that anger was going to hurt me more than him,” said Alexandra Tremblay.
François Levasseur was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
He spoke to the family of his victim during the hearing, which his half-sister insisted on attending.
“He read a letter where he expressed remorse and I honestly felt he meant it. I told myself from the start that no matter how long he was going to have to do, I think his pain, he will drag it with him all his life. All his life, he will have this weight on his conscience to say that he killed someone, ”she said.
The young host makes it a point to use her voice, since the tragedy, to remind people of the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
“I use this terrible drama to confront people and say to them: do you feel like killing someone’s brother? Me my brother is dead and do not take your tank. It’s believed yes, but it’s the reality and sometimes you have to “shake” these people. A vehicle is a weapon,” she said.
Too many people, she says, tend to forget that.
“As part of the 28 Days Without Alcohol Challenge, I feel like encouraging people to re-evaluate their consumption and the behaviors they adopt when they have consumed. I don’t want to demonize alcohol because I like it too having a drink with friends, but it’s important to plan your return and not get behind the wheel,” she explained.
His half-brother, Philippe Verreault, was a well-known skier from Stoneham.
“My family has been seriously affected since this tragedy and the driver’s family is also broken to know that their child did this. It breaks a lot of lives, ”she said.
Alexandra and her family took steps to have a trail at the Stoneham ski resort named in honor of the victim.
Philippe Verreault was a much appreciated athlete and coach in his community.
“All I want with my testimony is that at least one person will not drive after drinking and if I succeed in that, for me it will be a victory,” concluded Alexandra Tremblay.
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Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com