It is the night of Thursday April 26 to 27, 2017. It is 2:30 am when two very beautiful cars, a BMW M3 series and a BMW i8, are driving on the Quai du Halage in Flémalle, a road with twice two lanes of traffic. Both sedans drive in the same direction. The BMW M3 is on the right strip and the i8 is on the left strip. A few hours earlier, the two drivers had spent the evening together at the restaurant.
For some unknown reason, the BMW i8, a car costing more than €100,000, left its left lane, crossed the right lane, smashed the guardrail and plunged into the Meuse. The driver, Marc Jamotte, 53, from Tilff, was rescued from the Meuse by firefighters. Unfortunately, he passed away. The investigation was beginning.
Together at the restaurant
The work of the automobile expert dispatched to the scene of the accident made it possible to highlight an important element: before the fatal exit from the road, the two BMWs touched each other. But no element of the investigation made it possible to say which vehicle had struck the other and under what circumstances. In any case, the BMW M3 also had damage.
This file becomes even more complicated when we know that the two drivers had drunk too much. The victim, Marc Jamotte, had 2.44 g of alcohol per liter of blood. That is, almost five times more than the legal limit. The other driver had a blood alcohol level of 1.9 g per liter of blood. In short, the meal had been well watered.
A witness was following the two vehicles, he saw everything. He was heard in November 2021 before the Liège police court. For him, the events are clear. He says it was the driver of the BMW i8 who lost control of his vehicle before crashing into the BMW M3 and plunging into the Meuse.
No manslaughter
Under these conditions, there was no question for the public prosecutor, represented by the Deputy Public Prosecutor, Aurélien Vanhaelen, to refer the driver of the M3 to the Liège police court for manslaughter. On the other hand, the latter appeared all the same before the police court, last Wednesday, for alcoholic intoxication at the wheel which is not disputed and for a slight speeding.
On the other hand, the beneficiaries of the driver of the BMW i8, they believe that it is the driver of the BMW M3 who deviated from his trajectory. The other parties joined the proceedings by issuing a direct citation for manslaughter. The judge will then have the obligation to examine the prevention and to say whether, yes or no, the driver of the BMW M3 is responsible for the death of Marc Jamotte.
Judgment will be rendered on October 20, 2022.
The day after the terrible accident, the planet Facebook had paid a real tribute to Marc Jamotte, originally from Tilff but very popular in the Haute Meuse. The man was known to be a true philanthropist. He had, on several occasions, contributed to improving the living environment of homeless people in Seraing.
Businessman within the company ERGO, Marc Jamotte had also invested in charitable humanitarian associations. He had, in particular, set up the ASBL “Amigos Aide Humanitaire International”.
Alain Mathot, the former mayor of Seraing, had emphasized the generosity as well as his kindness of Marc Jamotte. Francis Bekaert, the current mayor of Seraing, did not say anything else.
“He came to the aid of the Seresian non-profit organization “A roof for the night”. He was always very active and very present to help his neighbour. He was a wonderful man who really deserves to be emphasized on his many human qualities,” explained Francis Bekaert. “He was good, very nice and he loved human relations. He really loved helping people who needed it the most. »
His friend Pascal explained, in our columns, that he had known Marc for twenty years. “If I had to describe my relationship, I would say it was a bit like the brother I would have chosen. »