Changes coming to Laval highway exit within 'days' as investigation into fatal crash digs deeper
Coroner names 1 victim; 3 others who were in critical condition now expected to recover
Quebec's Transport Ministry will make changes in "a matter of days" to the stretch of Highway 440 in Laval where four people were killed and 15 others injured in a fiery multi-vehicle accident on Monday.
The coroner's office has released the name of one person who died in the crash: 26-year-old Robert Tanguay-Laplante.
Provincial police say three people who were in critical condition are now out of danger. Officers plan to speak with them about the accident when they have sufficiently recovered.
There are 10 investigators and four accident-reconstruction experts working on the file. Police have asked anyone who saw the collision or has video of it to contact them, which can be done anonymously at 1-800-659-4262.
Earlier this week, Transport Minister François Bonnardel said the painted line separating the service lane from the highway will be extended a few hundred metres to dissuade motorists from moving into the service lane "at the last minute."
"We're finalizing the updated lane markings," Sarah Bensadoun, a spokesperson for the Transport Ministry, told Radio-Canada on Wednesday. "We're working to coordinate signage in the area to direct road users."
She said the work will be done in "a matter of days."
Highway section long a source of concern
Bonnardel has said his ministry will look at making other changes to the highway once the provincial police report into the accident is complete.
Many drivers say the configuration of this section of Highway 440 has long been a concern.
A Quebec coroner's report into a 2016 fatal crash at the same location noted there was "frequent congestion" at the Highway 15 ramp.
The report found the driver who died had been distracted, possibly by a cellphone, and concluded that infrastructure and signage were not the cause.
But the report also said that police had identified the location as the site of numerous collisions.
"If you're not familiar with this ramp, if you don't use it regularly, it obviously requires a lot of attention," said Marc Cadieux, CEO of the Quebec Trucking Association.
The accident happened around 3:30 p.m. Monday on Highway 440 westbound when a small car collided with an 18-wheeler near the exit to Highway 15.
The two vehicles then hit a second truck, starting a pileup involving another six vehicles and a major fire, with plumes of black smoke that reached high above the city. One car became stuck underneath one of the trucks.