Fatal fall | A young man loses his life at Mont Saint-Hilaire
A young man lost his life after falling to his death at Mont Saint-Hilaire on Sunday afternoon in Montérégie.
Around 11 a.m., the Richelieu–Saint-Laurent Intermunicipal Police Board (RSL) received a call requesting an intervention in the mountain, which sits in the homonymous municipality.
A man had fallen in a “steep” area, according to the Régie. Despite efforts by first responders to locate and rescue him, the young man died on the spot from his injuries. A Sûreté du Québec helicopter also flew over the area during the operation.
The police rule out the theory of a criminal act causing a death.
In June, the Vallée-du-Richelieu Intermunicipal Fire Safety Authority (RISIVR) cut its specialized rescue team for hikers who are injured in the mountains. This announced that it would now make a single team made up of an officer and three firefighters available at Mont Saint-Hilaire, i.e. the “basic coverage” necessary to ensure public safety.
Since 1958, the Gault Nature Reserve, located on Mont Saint-Hilaire, has been the property of McGill University. Hundreds of thousands of visitors go there every year for a walk in the forest, on the approximately 25 kilometers of accessible trails.
The preserve’s website mentions that “drops, cliffs and steep slopes” are potential hazards on the trails. The mountain is home to, among other things, the Dieppe cliff, 175 meters high.
Mont Saint-Hilaire is one of the ten hills of Montérégie, and rises to an altitude of 414 meters on the South Shore.
With Henri Ouellette-Vézina, The Press
