Motorcycle safety expert Alain Boutin, wife Sylvie Boutin-Lachance stood 'no chance,' witness says

Riders with a Quebec City motorcycle club have been rattled by the deaths of Alain Boutin, 65, and his wife, Sylvie Boutin-Lachance, 58, fatally injuredwhile riding in a convoy of five motorcycles on a club outing on Saturday.

• 2 motorcyclists struck by truck die from injuries

The pair was killed while travelling westbound on Highway 216 near Saint-Nazaire-de-Dorchester, southeast of Quebec City, at about 2 p.m. on Saturday.

A pick-up truck travelling toward them swerved into their lane while taking a curve in the road, said Gatan Poitras, who had been riding behind the couple when it happened.

Poitras said Boutin and his wife were struck hard by the side of the truck, and both were already dead when he approached.

'Hit full force'

"There was nothing that could be done. They hadabsolutely no, chance. They were hit full force," he said.

Poitras said he's already been involved in three accicents, and since witnessing Saturday's incident,both his son and sister have pleaded with him to stop riding motorcycles.

"They said, 'You have to stop. You aren't a cat. You don't have seven lives'," he told CBC's French-language service, Radio-Canada.

"For me, it's finished. It's finished," Poitrassaid.

Award-winning bike safety expert

Boutin, a mechanic who would have been 66 today, wasa longtime member of the Association de Moto-tourisme de la Capitale, recognized by the clubseveral times over the past 30 years for his commitment to safety.

"He was alwayssafe on the road, very respectful," said fellow club member Christian Cot. "He's someone who never should have died."

Rise in motorcycle deaths

There has been a notable increase in the number motorcycle--related deaths on Quebec's roads.

• Road deaths up in 2015, but trend toward safer roads continues

Last year's 50 fatalities representeda five-year high anda 25 per cent increase over 2014, according to the province's automobile insurance agency, the SAAQ.

However, Poitras said it's unfortunate that incidents like the one in which his friends died will be counted in the statistics.

"This was not a motorcycle accident:It was a automobile accident," Poitras said.

The truck's driver, a 36-year-old man from St-Adalbert, suffered minor injuries. Quebec provincial police say alcohol was not a factor.