My heart was broken last night when I posted a report to the Gazette’s website about an accident in Vermont that resulted in five local teenagers in one car being killed.
It seems that someone else was driving down the wrong side of the road, and caused the accident along with several others. Other people were injured, and last I heard, the wrong-way driver was in critical condition.
Quebec is a neighbour of Vermont; many Quebecers go to Vermont on weekends, especially at this time of the year to see the spectacular fall foliage. Others have their cottages there, and it is also a favourite destination for skiers.
I am still saddened by this today. Five young people who had their whole lives in front of them . . .
The tragedy is affecting people in Vermont and the Montreal area — many of our readers expressed their sadness. Some reported driving by the area shortly after the accident and seeing the police cars and ambulances.
It is a tragedy . . . so very sad.
My heart and condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims.
— Jillian
Jillian Page 
Always such a sad thing to happen to innocent people. One never knows how our day will turn out if being dictated by other irresponsible beings. Definitely a great loss of young lives.
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Vermont is a pretty small place, and when five young people, all from the same small high school with just a few hundred students, everyone is affected. But, the whole state is shaken, too. Sunday, the Governor issued a heartfelt statement. On Monday, Senator Leahy began an interview on Public Radio telling how he and his wife learned of the tragedy in church Sunday morning, and then as they learned more details later that morning he said he was brought to tears.
The driver who caused the crashes looks like he will survive. God knows what the hell was going through his mind when he came speeding back and crashed into all those cars at the scene of the first crash. Reports are that he had sought treatment for mental illness just that morning.
Here’s a local story about the police officers, first on the scene, who prevented many worse injuries, http://www.wcax.com/story/33374418/heroic-cops-want-focus-on-victims-families
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It’s all so very said. I think more charges will be filed against the wrong-way driver. But I don’t how he will be able to live with himself.
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Unbelievably, another very similar accident just occurred in Massachusetts. They’re still sorting out just what happened, but another wrong-way driver hitting a car full of young people with catastrophic results.
http://www.wbur.org/all-things-considered/2016/10/25/young-men-wrong-way-crash
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Some good news, in Rhode Island they’ve been testing equipment to alert wrong-way drivers when they begin up the wrong ramp, and they’ve seen hopeful results. I don’t know that this would’ve made much difference in the Vermont crash, where the driver seemed determined to head up that road the wrong-way, but many other crashes are accidents with confused drivers who might have been helped by such warnings.
http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/10/27/wrong-way-accidents
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