The driver did not hold the steering wheel

Images filmed of a truck that exceeded it allow to suspect distraction as the cause of the tragedy.

The trucker suspected of being behind the four-person crash on Highway 440 in Laval last week would not have had his hands on the wheel and would not have looked ahead in the five seconds before the terrible collision.

These disturbing allegations appear in a public affidavit produced by the Sûreté du Québec, in order to obtain a warrant to carry out the expert assessment of the suspect's heavy weight, of which Le Journal obtained a copy.

This document reveals that a citizen gave the investigators a video captured in the moments before the tragedy by a camera installed in his vehicle, while he doubled the tractor driven by Jagmeet Grewal, 53 years old.

Jagmeet Grewal
Truck Driver - FACEBOOK Photo

The analysis of these images allowed the police to see that "the driver's hands on the steering wheel" were not visible.

In addition, it is noted that the latter has not reacted, even if we see the "brake lights turn on the line of immobilized vehicles in the right lane, further".

"It's as if the truck has entered the pile without braking," said a motorist at the first patrol arrived on the scene.

Noting that no evidence of braking or evasive maneuver was found on the scene and based on the speeds and distances observed, one expert estimated that the trucker had yet had 4.8 seconds to react to the danger. .

"It is abnormal that a driver does not pay attention to the road for such a long time," says the affidavit, which states that he has "reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal negligence causing death been committed ".

Early in the investigation, the police suspected a distraction by the trucker.

The trucker's phone

A second judicial authorization has been filed to obtain the records of the iPhone 6 Mr. Grewal. According to our information, the investigators would be exasperated by the delays imposed by Bell to access this crucial data for the rest of the file.

The document mentions another potential source of distraction in the truck's cabin, a Samsung tablet on the dashboard. According to what the suspect told the police, it was used to keep the log as a GPS to receive communications from his boss, and to communicate with a printer on board.

Questioned about the cause of the collision, Jagmeet Grewal rejected the thesis of a mechanical breakdown and assured that he did not have his cell phone in hand. But he refused to answer when asked why he had not braked before the impact, which was an impressive violence, recalls the affidavit.

At approximately 3:30 pm on August 5th, near the ramp leading from Highway 440 to Highway 15, the heavy truck pulled eight other vehicles at full speed, including a tractor trailer that was projected ten meters over. far in shock. The chain collisions and the fierce fire that broke out resulted in four casualties and 10 injuries.

The SQ did not want to comment on the ongoing investigation, but reiterated its call to witnesses, including those who would have captured images of the pileup, to contact the criminal information center at 1 800 659-4264.

THE FOUR DEAD