French Comedian Causes

Deadly Crash Under Cocaine

Three cars were involved in the deadly crash. PHOTO: SUDRADIO.FR13 FEB - Famous French comedian Pierre Palmade caused a fatal road crash while driving under the influence of drugs, Gendarmerie Nationale informed.

The crash happened on February 10th around 7:00 p.m. on the D372 road at Villiers-en-Bière in the south of Seine-et-Marne department.

Crash

Palmade's car crashed into a vehicle, which in turn hit a third motorist. Four people, including the comedian, were seriously injured. Among these victims was a seven-month-pregnant woman who lost her baby due to the crash. A six-year-old child is still in critical condition. The Gendarmerie check right after the crash showed that the tested positive for cocaine. The actor was detained and investigation was duly initiated at the prosecutors office in Melun for manslaughter and involuntary injuries resulting in total incapacity for work for more than three months by a driver under the influence of narcotics.

Passengers

According to a police source, witnesses reported that two passengers, aged around 20, who were travelling in Palmade's vehicle fled the crash scene immediately after the collision. The two are wanted by law enforcement officials. Camille Chaize, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Interior, publicly called on them to surrender and explain the facts. "I call on them to go to any police station or gendarmerie brigade to explain the facts. This is important in the context of the judicial investigation," Camille Chaize told France Info. "Everything that will allow the investigators to gather elements is important. We miss these two people. We have to be able to hear them to soundly reconstruct the facts", continued Camille Chaize.

History

Pierre Palmade was sentenced in 1995 and 1999 for cocaine consumption. In 2019, he was taken into custody for "use and acquisition of narcotics" after being falsely accused of rape. He was then fined 1,500 euros. According to witness accounts, the community of Cély-en-Bière where Palmade resided largely knew that he was often driving after having used drugs.