A coroner from Quebec has once again called on the Transport Ministry of the province to enhance the safety of Highway 50 after a head-on collision occurred late last year. In a recently published report, Coroner Martine Lachance concluded that the death of a 71-year-old man from Boisbriand was accidental but attributed it to the absence of physical barriers between opposing lanes on the highway.

The fatal crash took place in the late afternoon of December 26, 2025, near Brownsburg-Chatham in the western Laurentians. The victim was a passenger in a vehicle traveling west on Highway 50, also known as Autoroute Guy-Lafleur.

According to the coroner’s findings, the driver was speeding at 111 km/h in a 100 km/h zone when she was momentarily blinded by the headlights of an oncoming truck. This caused her to lose control of the car, leading to a collision with a van on the opposite side of the road after veering across the centre line.

The report clarified that neither weather nor road conditions played a role in the incident, as the road was dry, visibility was good, and the vehicle was found to have no mechanical issues during police inspections. The absence of a central median or guardrail was highlighted as a factor that could have prevented the vehicle from entering the oncoming traffic lane.

In a bid to address safety concerns on the highway, the coroner emphasized the need for immediate action by the province to install median guardrails separating eastbound and westbound traffic on Highway 50. Additionally, Lachance urged the swift implementation of planned widening projects to expand the road to four lanes, underscoring the importance of these initiatives in preventing future accidents and fatalities.