Overview

• Around 5 a.m. on July 3 near Gourdon, a car carrying five minors aged 13 to 15 veered off the road, plunged down an embankment and struck a tree, killing a 13-year-old passenger.
• Police had been following the vehicle at a distance after local reports that it refused to comply with stop orders under a new national pursuit directive.
• The 15-year-old driver and three other teenage occupants were hospitalized with injuries that are not life-threatening.
• Authorities have opened a judicial inquiry assigned to the Brigade de Recherches de Mâcon to determine the sequence of events and assess police pursuit practices.
• The crash has reignited debate over the risks of high-speed chases and unsupervised adolescent access to family vehicles without adult supervision.