Normandy: A motorist suspected of having hit two teenagers on bikes, one of whom died

The drama unfolded this Wednesday on an unlit departmental road in Etainhus, near Le Havre in Seine-Maritime.

Two teenage girls aged 16 and 17 were cycling there after dark, around 6:30 p.m., and were hit from behind by a 30-year-old motorist, report La Dépêche du Midi, Paris Normandie and Ici Normandie.

The 17-year-old girl did not survive her injuries while the youngest is still hospitalized in absolute emergency at the Rouen University Hospital.

The driver, who fled without helping them, was identified and placed in pre-trial detention this Saturday.

The two friends, from Reims, were staying in Normandy with the grandfather of the oldest cyclist.

They had not planned to travel at night, said the Le Havre prosecutor's office, to explain the absence of reflective vests.

Indicted for road homicide

Identified thanks to a testimony and the analysis of vehicle debris found at the scene of the accident, the 30-year-old man was placed in police custody on Thursday.

He denies being at the origin of the accident while admitting to having been traveling on this road at the time of the events.

He was indicted for road homicide aggravated by hit-and-run, road injuries and failure to assist a person in danger.