A cyclist killed by a motorist, Boulevard Malesherbes in Paris. The tragedy of Tuesday, October 15, which cost the life of Paul Varry, could have been quietly added to the litany of news that dots the road safety section. But it came to embody a tormented coexistence between cars and bicycles, bringing it to its climax and awakening among cyclists an awareness of their vulnerability.
It is 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday in western Paris. 27-year-old cyclist hit by off-road driver “a dispute”according to the term of the Paris prosecutor’s office. Witnesses and surveillance cameras made it possible to determine that the driver traveled 200 meters along the wide bike lane and would have passed over the foot of the cyclist who was traveling on his left. The latter then hit the hood. “to alert the driver, who would initially have backed off by releasing his foot”specifies the Paris prosecutor’s office.
The cyclist dropped his bike and stood in front of the car, on the left side, “showing their discontent”. The motorist then turned the wheels in his direction and moved forward. The autopsy confirmed that he had run over her. “Video surveillance shows an elevation of the front and then the rear of the left side of the vehicle”adds the Paris prosecutor’s office, indicating that alcohol and drug tests were negative.
“Voluntary attitude of the driver”
As of Tuesday, the prosecutor’s office opened a murder investigation, attributed to 1Ahem judicial police district, the first witnesses “perceived a voluntary attitude of the driver during the movement of the car towards the cyclist”. After forty-eight hours in police custody, the 52-year-old driver, who was arrested at the scene on Tuesday, was taken to court on Thursday night to be presented on Friday before an investigating judge for possible charges.
“It’s not an accident, it’s murder”says Marion Soulet, a spokesperson for Paris in Saddle, who knew the victim. Paul Varry was a “active member” from the association: “He demanded that we be able to circulate in complete safety and fought to calm the city. » On Wednesday night, hundreds of people came to pay their respects in the Place de la Madeleine, at the call of the association. Everyone followed their own path. “It could have been me”the spokesperson relates: “Many recounted the incidents they experience every day, with a less dramatic outcome, but with the same violence. »
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