After being paralyzed following bike crash on Montreal-Laval bridge, teen calls for better signage

An 18-year-old from Laval says his life will never be the same after a paralyzing accident on a bike path in September. Jérémy Deguire said he was cycling north on the A-25 bridge from Montreal to Laval at night, emphasizing the darkness on the bridge and his inability to see the lane shift to the right.

Poorly visible fence on path

“And I didn’t see the fence,” he said in an interview with CTV News. “So I hit the fence and I fell off my bicycle. I lost consciousness for a couple of minutes.”

“There were some people walking across the bridge who found me and came to rescue me,” he said.

Shortly thereafter, he was rushed to hospital where medical personnel induced a coma to stabilize his vertebrae. He also suffered fractures in his face, ribs, and sternum, along with a perforated lung, necessitating intubation.

“Everything was basically broken. It took me a solid three days to fully understand the extent of my injuries… It took me a while to realize I was paralyzed,” he said.

Life changed forever

Deguire, was was studying carpentry with aspirations for a career in construction.

“Most of my dreams, I can’t do them anymore,” he said.

Expressing a need for enhanced safety measures, Deguire advocates for increased signage and lighting on the bike path to prevent others from facing a similar fate. The A-25 bridge, constituting a 7.2-kilometer toll route, is jointly owned and managed by Quebec’s transport ministry and private partners.

Ministry and bridge company weigh in

In response to the incident, the ministry issued a statement expressing sorrow and sympathy, noting its collaboration with Concession A25, the infrastructure manager, and emphasizing the private partner’s responsibility for bridge safety.

The Ministry said, in a statement, “that it is saddened by the event that took place on Sept. 2 and that it sympathizes with the cyclist and his family. As soon as the Ministry became aware of the event, it requested an update from the infrastructure manager, Concession A25.

“The Ministry has confirmed its full cooperation with the Private Partner by participating in follow-up meetings to ensure that the premises are safe and user-friendly for cyclists,” the statement concluded.

A spokesperson for the company that owns the bridge also made a statement. “We are deeply saddened by the young cyclist who was involved in an accident on the multipurpose track. We have already had the opportunity to express our deepest sympathy to the parents,” Sylvie Godin, spokesperson for Transurban, said.

Financial burden to make home accessible

To make matters worse, the family is having difficulties in adapting their house for Deguire’s wheelchair, relying primarily on compensation from Quebec’s Societe d’Habitation, which is a time-consuming process.

“It’s about $50,000,” Deguire’s mother, Stephanie, said. “An elevator costs $85,000, we’ve been told. So, it doesn’t even cover that.” Additionally, she said it’s a lengthy wait of a minimum of six months to receive the compensation. Since they live in a three-story house, the family faces challenges in mobility without accessibility adaptations.

“It would be faster if we had SAAQ,” referring to Quebec’s automotive insurance board. His mother said. “But, because there were no cars involved, we don’t have it.”

As far as how the young man is coping with the dramatic change, he’s doing his best to stay positive. “I used to go on walks and cycle to clear my thoughts,” he said. “But now, I’m not going to say I’m walking; instead, I roll around in the wheelchair.”