A woman in her 20s who answered an ad online to split a ride from Gatineau to Montreal has died after a violent collision on Highway 40 in the St-Lazare—Hudson area on Saturday
"The woman who was driving the car was driving very dangerously," Surete du Quebec Sgt. Ronald McInnis told CJAD News. "One of the passengers texted his girlfriend to tell her that [the driver was going to get us] into an accident.
Not long after that message was sent, the car crossed the grass median into oncoming traffic around the 26-kilometer mark on Highway 40, colliding with two vehicles head-on around 1:45 p.m., McInnis confirmed. The car's female passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver and the other passenger--who were also in their early 20s—were severely injured and taken to hospital. They are both expected to survive.
None of the occupants of the car from Gatineau knew each other before agreeing to share a ride, McInnis confirmed, saying the passengers responded to an online ad notice from the driver to ride together and split gas, popularly known as ridesharing.
Of the two vehicles heading west that were struck, the driver of the first vehicle was also taken to hospital for minor injuries. No one in the second vehicle was injured, though the driver was treated at the scene for shock, he added.
Charges are expected to be laid against the allegedly erratic driver, McInnis continued, which should include criminal negligence causing death and reckless driving.