French comedian and actor Pierre Palmade caused a head-on crash in the village of Villiers-en-Biere during February, while he was driving under the influence of cocaine. The crash led to the death of a 27-year-old pregnant women, while a 38 year old man and a 6-year-old child are still in intensive care.
If he is found guilty of causing the baby’s death by ‘involuntary manslaughter’, Mr Palmade risks 20 years of prison, especially given his long and well-documented history with drugs.
If not, he still risks five years in prison, and 10 years if his drug history (and previous related convictions) are taken into account.
The accident has caused uproar in Paris, with many calling for stricter fines and ban on drug driving.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has also called for perpetrators to have their license revoked. He told le Journal du Dimanche: “Naming things properly enables us to acknowledge the magnitude of these events.”
He has particularly called for the word ‘involuntary’ to be removed from the crime’s title, to be replaced instead with ‘road homicide’ (rather than ‘involuntary homicide’ caused by the consumption of drugs or alcohol).
Mr. Darmanin has also said that anyone who consumes alcohol or drugs before driving should have 12 points taken from their license, which would, in practice, mean their license is suspended.
This is in contrast to the current laws, which state that a driver can only have their license taken away for a second offence.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws1oB8fZacE