Road accidents, although fewer in the past two years, can still destroy lives. Corinne saw hers rock for the first time in 2017, a second time in 2019. Since then, she has created an association to help orphan children, “Star Dust”.
Corinne, originally from the Liège region, wanted to tell us via the orange Alert us button, the tragic story of her family, shattered by two terrible road accidents. This resident of the village of Engis lost two of her children in two years apart due to car accidents. Their names were Lindsey, 23, and Laëtitia, 30. They had 2 and 4 children respectively.
“On January 4, 2017, my daughter Lindsey was supposed to come visit me. I told her to be careful on the road by FaceTime, she asked me why I was worried”, she says, still overcome by emotion. “I felt something, I can’t explain it. A few hours later, she still wasn’t there, I called her brother, he hadn’t seen her. I was on the phone when I saw the police van arrive, I understood and I passed out. Her 1.5 year old granddaughter was in the vehicle, she survived. It’s a miracle, there are no other words“.
Two years later, Laëtitia, the eldest, will also lose her life, after losing control of her vehicle. “There was hope because the doctor wanted to operate on her, she was only 30 years old. If she was 50, he wouldn’t even have tried to save her in view of her condition… But two days later, nothing was going in the right direction and we had to decide to unplug her”, explains Corinne, marked for life by these events. Dejected one after the other by the deaths of her daughters, Corinne had to stop working. She lives with her husband, with whom they support each other.
Holding on thanks to the foundation of an ASBL
Faced with such a tragic fate, we could drop everything. Of course, Corinne does not spend a day without thinking of her daughters, but she is holding on thanks to her grandchildren, those who became orphans of their mothers overnight. She recently decided to found an ASBL called “Star Dust” which would help and support children orphaned by one or both parents.
“As parents, we are not always supported. By creating this association, we want to show children that they will have support, whatever happens.“. For the moment in its infancy, the objective will be to institutionalize this ASBL by receiving in particular external aid.
Road accident figures still down
According to the latest figures published by the Vias Institute and the AWSR, the number of deaths due to road accidents has fallen further. Again, because already in 2020 the numbers had dropped considerably. The reason is simple: the Covid context and the confinements have reduced road traffic and therefore accidents on them.
Indeed, in 2019, with regard to deaths within 30 days after a road accident, there were 616 deaths on our roads. As of 2020, the figure drops to 499 is a significant drop in the three regions are worth noting. Rebelote last year: 484 deaths were reported on the roads, including 187 in Wallonia and 6 in Brussels, i.e. the historically lowest total since this count was made.
“Even if the numbers are down, each victim remains one victim too many”
“This is the first time that Wallonia has fallen below the bar of 200 people killed on the road. We are delighted with this positive assessment, but we must obviously qualify: behind these people, there are lives and families that have been shattered and therefore, each victim is still one victim too many”, specifies Belinda Demattia, spokesperson for the Walloon Agency for road safety. “We must therefore continue the efforts, especially in 2022, when the measures are starting to be lifted and when there will necessarily be more reasons to get out and hit the road.
Small anomaly however: in Flanders, the number of deaths has increased compared to 2020. A subtlety that can be understood in the recovery of the Flemish economy and in the great boom that e-commerce has experienced in the region. As a result, Flanders has experienced a greater number of vans and heavy goods vehicles on these roads, and therefore the number of accidents involving them, often more serious than those experienced by more conventional vehicles.
Assistance provided to victims by the AWSR
The Agency would like to point out that it offers a road accident assistance service. In this program, which concerns victims of bodily injury, victims and/or their families can contact the AWSR for psychological assistance, but also lawyers specializing in insurance law to advise victims in their administrative procedures or in their place if the need arises.
“Last year, we opened 224 files in this service. Behind a file, there are several people who are helped, we want to follow the family of the victim in its entirety”concludes the spokesperson.
The average age most affected by road deaths is 20-29 years old. The three types of users most frequently affected are car drivers, followed by cyclists and pedestrians.