On Thursday 6 June, the public prosecutor in La Rochelle announced the condition of the children seriously injured in the accident on the Avenue Coligny in La Rochelle the previous day. The 10-year-old child, currently hospitalised in Tours, has been declared brain dead by doctors

In a press release, the public prosecutor in La Rochelle, Arnaud Laraize, revealed the latest news concerning the children most severely affected by the accident. “The 10-year-old child hospitalised in Tours has been declared brain dead by the medical profession. The public prosecutor’s office in La Rochelle sends its sincere condolences to the victim’s family and shares their grief”, said the public prosecutor.

As for the six other children injured, ‘a ten-year-old girl in a critical condition is still in hospital in an absolute emergency in Poitiers. Another nine-year-old, initially admitted to La Rochelle in a relative emergency, has been transferred to Poitiers for observation. Another 11-year-old child, admitted to hospital in an absolute emergency in La Rochelle, is showing an improvement in her condition. Finally, a fifth nine-year-old child, admitted as a relative emergency, underwent surgery this morning in La Rochelle and is now in a stable condition. The last two injured children were released from hospital yesterday”, added Arnaud Laraize in his press release.

An investigation into manslaughter has been opened, and the driver involved in the accident is currently hospitalised in a specialist unit, making it impossible for her to be interviewed for the time being, according to the public prosecutor in La Rochelle.

The accident occurred shortly after 10am on Wednesday 5 June, at the junction of avenue Coligny and rue Jules-Ferry, near the centre of La Rochelle. Twelve children on bikes were on their way to an orienteering race in Parc Franck-Delmas, organised by the Bernard-Palissy leisure centre. The group was made up of children aged between 7 and 11 who were on an extra-curricular outing.

The accident, which took place on Avenue Coligny, involved this group of children on bicycles and a driver at the wheel of a yellow Renault Twingo. According to the La Rochelle public prosecutor’s office, the 83-year-old driver was travelling in the opposite direction and suddenly swerved to the left for no apparent reason. Arriving against the flow of traffic, she collided head-on with the cyclists.