The family of a teen who lost her parents in a car accident was outraged by a judge's ruling Wednesday.
David Leblanc, 36, was acquitted of impaired driving causing death because accident investigators couldn't say for sure just how fast he was driving moments before a fatal crash.
In November 2016, Leblanc was behind the wheel of a Hyundai that T-boned a Mazda 3 crossing Route 116 in Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. The driver of the Mazda, Pierre Junior Brousseau, and his wife, Émilie Fortin, were killed in the crash. Their 15-year-old daughter Anakyme Brousseau (13 at the time) was in the backseat. Anakyme survived.
According to police Leblanc's blood alcohol level was 0.115, above the legal limit of 0.08.
During the trial Sûreté du Québec accident investigators told the court the fatal crash was violent. Both vehicles were smashed and the Mazda ended up 250 feet from where the impact occurred, its battery and engine landing even further. With the information available police estimated Leblanc's vehicle was traveling at 130 km/h when it struck the second car.
Investigators found no evidence of braking or skidding at the crash site. The road was dry, visibility was good and both vehicles were in good mechanical condition with working lights.
In the end the judge ruled the imprecise testimony regarding Leblanc's speed was not enough to say for certain that his conduct caused the death of the couple. He explained that the estimates from police were based on the assumption Brousseau had stopped at the intersection and had only started to cross the road, an assumption that could not be proven without a shadow of doubt.
According to the Journal de Montreal, just before giving his final verdict, the judge turned to Anakyme and said it is normal to want to make sense of the tragedy, but in this case it was no one's fault.
The girl's grandmother told the newspaper the verdict sets a bad example for young people and will completely trivialize impaired driving.
Leblanc was ultimately fined $1,000 and his license was suspended for one year.