Young lovers' texts a warning against distracted driving
Mathieu Fortin created a Facebook page and posted this photo of himself with his girlfriend Emy Brochu, who died Jan. 18 when her car slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer truck as it merged with traffic near Victoriaville.
Published Wednesday, March 14, 2012 1:36PM EDT
A young Quebec man has gone public with a series of heartfelt text messages he and his girlfriend sent each other moments before she died as a warning about the dangers of distracted driving.
In a message posted to Facebook, Mathieu Fortin says that his girlfriend, Emy Brochu, was killed on Jan. 18 in a car crash. Brochu was killed when her car hit the back of a transport truck near Victoriaville.
In French, Fortin says the police investigation has found that cellphone use while driving was the cause of the accident, although police have not confirmed the cause of the crash.
"This conclusion was a shock because during the tragedy, I was having a conversation with her by text," Fortin writes. "I have attached our latest texts for awareness and ask you to think twice before texting and driving."
While the excerpt of the exchange posted online is brief, the loving words exchanged between the young couple show two people obviously devoted to one another.
Fortin tells "Mme Brochu" that he loves her, to which the young woman replies "moi aussi," and goes on to tell him that she will do what she can to make him happy.
Fortin replies with a smiley face and a "moi aussi" and "XxxxxxxxxxxX."
Fortin then writes that he has a meeting at 12:30 and "would love to hear your beautiful voice before." He wishes her a good day at school.
Nearly an hour later he asks "is everything okay my love?" More than an hour after that, he writes to tell her that he is worried.
In his Facebook message, Fortin writes that the exchange "still breaks my heart to pieces," and serves as a reminder at how quickly an accident can happen.
He urges readers to think before picking up a cellphone while driving, to question "how a text message or an email can be more urgent than life? When your phone activities become more important than the people you love?"
He goes on to describe Emy as "cheerful, always smiling, determined," and warns about the feelings of guilt they might feel if they were in his position.
He ends with a warning that "it could be a child crossing the street while you're staring at your phone … THINK WELL!"