Cape Breton man who lost four relatives in horrifying crash in Quebec speaks out against drunk driving
David Fletcher was looking through pictures of family members Wednesday afternoon.
Four of them were killed in a motor vehicle collision in Quebec by an alleged drunk driver.
"This guy came out of nowhere over the hill doing about 150 right into the back of them, no breaks applied, nothing. Police figured the impact was about 140," says Fletcher.
In that moment, Fletcher says his life changed forever. His father, sister, niece and nephew were all in the vehicle -- all of them killed as a result.
"I was on the floor. I couldn't believe it. I said four of them, really. Four of them at once, gone," added Fletcher.
The driver, 43-year-old Éric Légaré, from Beauport, Quebec was arrested for driving while impaired by alcohol and is facing a dozen charges, including impaired driving causing death.
"I'm in and out of phases. I go to call my sister and I can't, because she's not there," says Fletcher.
According to family, 68 year-old Jim Fletcher, who was in Quebec at the time visiting, was a member of the Highlanders Pipe Band, and was musically gifted.
Forty-four-year-old Shellie Fletcher-Lemieux was the mother of 14-year-old Jackson Fortin, who loved football, and 10-year-old Emma Lemieux, who is seen here playing the piano.
Memories are now all David Fletcher has left.
"It's only the price of two beers to get a cab home or get a friend to come and pick you up. We learned the hard way. Don't drink and drive," says Fletcher
A memorial service will be held in Glace Bay on Thursday to pay tribute to four innocent lives that were taken too soon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.