5 who died in Laval overpass disaster honoured as inquiry begins

An inquiry into into the fatal overpass collapse in Laval, Que.,opened Tuesday with a moment of silence for the five people crushed to death, and testimony from a witness who said he's "lucky to be alive."

Former Quebec premier Pierre Marc Johnson,who isheadingthe inquiry,ledthe moment of silence to honour those who died when a section of the concrete overpass fell and crashed on cars driving underneath.

"We hope the commission's work on the collapse of the Concorde overpass will allow our fellow citizens to regain confidence about their safety when they're driving on and below bridges and viaducts in Quebec," he said in his opening remarks.

The five people, including a pregnant woman, died on Highway 19 in Laval, and six more were hospitalized with injuries.

Pasqualino Simeone, 39,is one of the first of 60 witnesses expected to testify at the hearing. Hewas driving on the Highway 19 when the overpass came crashing down just in front of him.

"I just had time brake," he said outside the hearing room after testifying. "I'm lucky to be alive."

He said he got out of his car and ran towards the rubble with a fire extinguisher in his hand. He could see vehicles buried under a mountain of concrete.

"I stopped and saw that there was no way to get anybody out of there," he said. "They were gone."

Aim to prevent future disasters

The Quebec government had asked the commission led by Johnson, who is assisted by three engineersto investigate the circumstances of the deadly collapse, determine its causes and make recommendations to avoid future disasters. The inquiry won't determine legal liability.

"We all know it is neither normal nor acceptable for an overpass to collapse, as was the case on Sept. 30, 2006," Johnson said Tuesday.

"We must find out why it happened, and we have the responsibility to make recommendations so it does not happen again."

The inquiry will cover a lot of ground, from the materials used to build the concrete structure, to the site supervisor's credentials andrepair work logged on the overpassover the years, Johnson said.

Reports have already confirmed there may have been structural flaws in the decades-old overpass.

On the first day of testimony, witnesses who watched the overpass plunge to the ground took the stand.

The commission will hearfrom victims later on.

The inquiry opened as construction work on the highway started this spring continues. The new overpass is being reconstructed with extra reinforcements, includingthree support posts in the middle as well as two beams at either end. The original structure rested on two end-posts.

Inquiry already delayed

The inquiry was supposed to start in February with a final report due 10 days ago, but the Quebec Liberal government granted the commission a six-month extension after it reported delays in collecting information.

The commission said it had to wait for infrastructure experts to be available for work on a model laboratory replica of the concrete structure.

Johnson came under fire for requesting the extension and was accused of partisanship for delaying the investigation until the provincial election was over. He refused to step down despite demands from the province's public service engineers union that he resign.

Overpass collapse a Quebec election issue

The collapse was a flashpoint in the recent Quebec election, when Action Dmocratique du Qubec Leader Mario Dumont accused Premier Jean Charest of concealing reports documenting problems with the overpass.

During the televised leaders debate, Dumont went on the offensive against his Liberal foe, clutching government papers he said proved the government knew about problems with the overpass and accusing Charest of negligence.

The surprise attack was the talk of the province for days after the debate and forced Charest to repeatedly defend his government's handling of the disaster. Dumont's accusations were later proved largely unfounded.

The inquiry's final report is due Oct. 15.