Driver pleads guilty in Beauport, Que., crash that killed 4

The driver accused of killing four people and injuring two more in a car crash outside Quebec City on Sept. 2, pleaded guilty to 19 charges at the Quebec City courthouse Tuesday morning and will therefore not go to trial.

The lawyers for 43-year-old Éric Légaré announced he would plead guilty in late November, after he was charged with several offences in the Court of Quebec, including dangerous driving causing death and driving while under the influence.

He could now face life in prison.

Family destroyed

Légaré was visibly emotional at today's proceedings, which he attended in person, and apologized to the family of the victims, some of whom were also in attendance.

The judge recounted that Légaré consumed seven glasses of wine and three shots of alcohol before getting behind the wheel. He was travelling 130 km/h on the Dufferin-Montmorency Highway in Beauport, Que., when he struck three vehicles that were stopped at a traffic light at around 5:45 p.m.

Emma Lemieux, 10, her half-brother Jackson Fortin, 14, their mother, Shellie Fletcher-Lemieux, 44, and their grandfather, James Fletcher, 68, all died of injuries suffered in the collision.

The fathers of the two children as well as the partner of James Fletcher, the children's grandmother, will give victim impact statements at the next hearing.

Jackson's father, Daniel Fortin, and Emma's father, Jean-Dominic Lemieux spoke to media today.

"The evidence is so strong and the consequences are so heavy, I think the sentence will be severe," said Fortin. "But regardless, whether it's five years, 10 years, 15 years, that's what people need to understand — those are the real consequences of drinking and driving."

"It destroys [people's] lives, ours and those of the family of the accused too," he said.

"Sometimes, you don't want to take a taxi, stop and think about it. Would you rather get home a little later or spend years inside [prison]?"

"If you see your friend, your colleague, leaving a bar or a party with a few too many, those are the real consequences."

Both Fortin and Lemieux said the first-time punishment for people caught driving under the influence needs to be much harsher in order to deter people from operating a  vehicle after consuming drugs or alcohol.

Heavily under the influence

Légaré's blood alcohol level was tested in hospital and ruled to be more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash. He also exceeded the legal limit for THC, one of the active ingredients in cannabis. 

In video that was shown at today's hearing, footage from highway and dashboard cameras as well as surveillance video from nearby businesses showed him struggling to walk as he left a bar on St-Joseph Street, in Quebec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood.

Different videos show him striking a car in front of his vehicle as he tries to pull out of a parking spot before later swerving, leaving the road, going the wrong way on a one-way street and making a dangerous passing manoeuvre while driving through a stop sign — all in the minutes leading up to the crash.

This is the second time Légaré has been charged with driving under the influence.

In 2017, he was fined $1,000 for drinking and driving and given a three-month ban on driving without an alcohol ignition interlock device. He also got eight speeding tickets that same year.

Légaré is expected to be sentenced in the New Year and remain detained until his next hearing, which is set for March 14-16, 2022.