Cornwall Ontario – When Robert Cadieux received the call to appear Friday at POA Court in Cornwall Ontario he thought he would be at a hearing to see the man responsible for the death of his beloved wife, business partner, and mother of his three children. Instead he was told that Felix Lafromboise, the man responsible for the death of his wife, was given a $2,000 fine without even having his license suspended.
As we reported in June 2017 LINK Kristine Cadieux died senselessly.
It was a tragedy that will forever scar her family and loved ones and one that Mr. Cadieux has been struggling with since as he’s lost his business partner, was himself hurt, and is trying to be there for his three children.
As he shared, it was approximately 7 AM when his wife was just exiting a construction zone at reduced speed on the 401 near South Stormont. Their van was hit almost immediately by a Ford Focus driven by 20 year old FELIX Lafromboise from Quebec. While the results have not been conclusive, it appears that Mr. Lafromboise may have simply attempted to do a “Quebec” pass into the left lane after construction and clipped the left end of the van that resulted in the van rolling. Generally a van shouldn’t roll if hit directly from behind by a small car.
Mr. Lafromboise is alleged to have claimed that he had fallen asleep.
At the end of the day Robert Cadieux’s life has turned into a brutal hardship while Mr. Laframboise license wasn’t even suspended and the now 21 year old is still on our roads with essentially a slap on the wrists.
It was one of the most difficult interviews this journalist has ever had to do, and we had to stop so that Mr. Cadieux could regain his composure.
Loading ...He’s turning that hurt into something positive and has created a social media group called V.O.I.C.E. LINK
The group is hoping to find solutions for victims and their families who at the end of the day are left with more questions and answers.
And hurt that can never truly be healed.
$2,000 is the maximum fine for this crime that was plead to. CFN spoke with a few legal experts who shared that if the Prosecutor had pushed for a larger charge that Mr. Lafromboise could in fact have potentially walked free completely if his lawyer was successful.
Clearly there is a gaping justice issue that is systemic in Ontario. While the Cadieux family can seek a civil award in court, it will take years as lawyers and insurance companies do their wrangling.
Another case on the 401, this time in Port Hope, also involving a Quebec driver, saw the death of a toddler. Same $2K fine. LINK
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comment of support for the Cadieux family below.
Where are the much needed support services for this family? Clearly the ball has been dropped, by several services beginning with the police and the crown attorney’s office, it was irresponsible of them not to refer this family to victim services, By the way it has been customary for the investigating police officer to request the Victim to provide the VS before pre trials.
At the very least they were entitled to face Felix Laframboise in court and express what Robert said in the video. There are so many SNAFU’s in this case it isn’t hard to understand how this case became a giant clusterf**k. If it was a construction zone with cones and merged / compressed lanes Laframboise ‘s defense that he fell asleep doesn’t stand up.
I had read that Laframboise was zig zagging in & out of traffic, you cannot do that while asleep
I agree with Mary Bray. As I said earlier “If it was a construction zone with cones and merged / compressed lanes Laframboise ‘s defense that he fell asleep doesn’t stand up.”