A Quebec coroner has once again called on the province’s Transport Ministry to enhance Highway 50 following a head-on crash late last year. In a recently published report, Coroner Martine Lachance attributed the death of a 71-year-old Boisbriand man to an accident, faulting the absence of physical separation between opposing lanes on the highway.
The incident took place in the late afternoon on Dec. 26, 2025, near Brownsburg-Chatham in the western Laurentians. The victim was a passenger in a vehicle heading west on Highway 50, also known as Autoroute Guy-Lafleur.
According to the coroner’s findings, the driver was traveling at 111 km/h in a 100 km/h zone when she was momentarily blinded by the headlights of an oncoming truck. This led to the loss of vehicle control, a collision with the right-side guardrail, and a subsequent impact with a van on the eastbound lane.
Weather and road conditions were not deemed contributing factors to the crash, with dry pavement, good visibility, and no mechanical issues found during police inspections. The absence of a central median or guardrail was highlighted as a key factor that could have averted the vehicle from entering oncoming traffic.
Earlier this year, two coroners highlighted nine other fatalities resulting from accidents on Highway 50, emphasizing the perilous nature of its continuous road layout. While some sections have been upgraded, Lachance’s report stressed the importance of promptly installing median guardrails to separate traffic in both directions and proceeding with planned widening projects to expand the road to four lanes. These measures are deemed crucial in preventing further severe injuries and deaths.
LISTEN | Why Highway 50 is considered so dangerous:
It’s known locally in the Laurentians as “The Highway of Death.” Our Laurentians reporter Andie Bennett explains the reasons behind the highway’s reputation and ongoing efforts to address its safety concerns.