Three members of the same family have died in a car accident on Wednesday while returning from a funeral in France, according to a local media report.
The car collided with a heavy goods vehicle head-on near the town of Val-d'Oire-et-Gartempe, news station BFM TV reported on Thursday. The victims who died were a 72-year-old man and his two passengers who were 72 and 84. According to the son and nephew of the victims in a Facebook post, their names were Thierry Aimé, Claude Raynaud and Dominique Alcalay. In addition, a dog was also in the vehicle and died as well.
The driver of the heavy goods vehicle was not harmed and told BFM TV that the car moved to the left suddenly. The road, known as the 147, is prone to accidents, the news station reported. This is because it has a speed limit of 90km an hour or approximately 55 miles per hour. There also aren't many overtaking lanes on the 147.
The son and nephew of the victims, Jules Aimé, posted to Facebook on Wednesday following the tragedy, and wrote that the victims had been returning from the funeral of another one of his aunts.
"They could not suffer, the deaths were immediately identified. My two parents, yet separated for nearly 25 years, had to die together, side by side, like a nose kick to this life," Aimé wrote, who wished the surviving driver a speedy recovery.
Over 46,000 people die in car accidents and crashes annually, according to The Association for Safe International Road Travel (ASIRT). In the United States, there is a traffic fatality rate of 12.4 deaths per 100,000 people.
"So we lose three exceptional people for their dedication, kindness and intelligence," Aimé wrote in his Facebook post. "A family where hatred has no place, where the importance of friendship is known, a family where no one counts, a family where fair battles are fought with determination. A family where the births of recent years brought joy and hope to a world that is sorely lacking."
The most common causes of car accidents include distracted driving, speeding, poor weather, poor road conditions, vehicle malfunctions and impaired driving, according to the ASIRT. Drunken driving is also a major cause of car accidents worldwide.
Newsweek has reached out to the local police service for a comment via a contact form on its website.
Tragedies like this one happen from time-to-time.
Last August, a mother and her five children died in a wrong-way interstate crash in Illinois.
An Illinois State Police spokesperson told Newsweek at the time that the 22-year-old, Jennifer Fernandez, was driving the wrong way on the interstate for "unknown reasons" when she collided with the other vehicle.
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Do you have a question about car accidents? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
