Driver dead after colliding with roadwork barrier on South Shore

Quebec ambulance - FILE PHOTO (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

A driver was killed Saturday after crashing into a temporary barrier designed to protect road workers on Montreal's South Shore.

The impact occurred early Saturday morning around 12:40 a.m. on Highway 10, near the junction with Highway 35, on the border of the Carignan and Chambly municipalities.

"The impact occurred at the beginning of a work zone, on a level roadway. The pickup truck slammed into the rear of the barrier, which was located in the left lane," said Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Audrey-Anne Bilodeau.

No workers were on site at the time.

The driver of the vehicle was in critical condition when taken to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was alone in the vehicle at the time of impact.

The victim is believed to be a man in his fifties, which police will confirm during a formal identification.

Fatigue may have played a role in the fatal collision, but no hypothesis has been ruled out for the moment.

"The road is flat and straight. The right lane is completely clear and, for a reason that is still under investigation, our driver unfortunately ran into the barrier that blocks the left lane to protect the workers," said Bilodeau.

"Is alcohol involved? Obviously, you'll understand that since the driver died, we couldn't take breath samples. In general, it's a request [for analysis] that can be made by the coroner precisely to rule out that hypothesis, among those under study," she explained.

The security perimeter in the area was lifted around 5:15 a.m. Saturday morning. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 11, 2023.