On May 22, 2024, Guy Ferland, a 66-year-old man from Saint-Georges, died following an accidental drowning while he was sinking downstream from the Sartigan dam, in a sector prized by amateurs called “Le Plateau”.
According to the Coroner Pierre Guilmette report, Mr. Ferland practiced recovery with a loved one, wearing thugs that immersed him until about size.
When he wanted to help his guide who had just captured a fish, he lost foot and fell into a deeper area, his thigh boots quickly filled with water. The current led him and the visual contact was lost.
The alert was given quickly, but it took almost 30 minutes to locate and extract Mr. Ferland from the water. The rescuers began resuscitation maneuvers on site before transporting it to the Saint-Georges hospital. Although a heart rate could have been temporarily restored, he died at 0:03 am on May 23 of serious complications, including injuries related to resuscitation and a major coagulation disorder.
The Coroner underlines that this is an accidental avoidable death, recalling that the area is indicated by warning panels and that man wore any individual flotation jacket.
The Sartigan dam, designed to retain the ice in spring, has unpredictable currents and variable depths downstream, presenting significant risks for fishermen who venture there.
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