Families of the victims in the 2023 Laval daycare bus crash deliver emotional impact statements in court, as the driver is found not criminally responsible due to psychosis; prosecutors seek high-risk offender designation.
Heartbreak in Court: Families Share Grief After Deadly Quebec Daycare Bus Tragedy
Victim impact statements shed light on the pain behind the 2023 Laval crash that killed two children and injured six
Montreal, QC — Families devastated by the horrific 2023 Laval daycare bus crash are preparing to confront the man behind the wheel, as they deliver emotional victim impact statements in court today.
Earlier this week, a Quebec Superior Court judge accepted a joint decision from both the Crown and defence declaring Pierre Ny St-Amand not criminally responsible due to mental illness. The former city bus driver, now 53, was found to have been in a state of psychosis at the time of the crash — unaware of his actions or their consequences.
The tragedy unfolded on February 8, 2023, when St-Amand drove a city bus into a daycare, killing four-year-old Jacob Gauthier and a five-year-old girl, Maëva, whose full name remains protected under a court-ordered publication ban requested by her family. Six other children were also injured in the crash.
Grief in the Courtroom
Today’s court session is expected to be one of the most emotional yet, with up to ten family members and loved ones scheduled to share the long-term trauma, grief, and anguish caused by the incident. Their statements aim to humanize the tragedy beyond the legal outcome — putting names, faces, and emotions to the young lives lost and forever changed.
What Happens Next?
While the verdict means St-Amand will not face a traditional prison sentence, the Crown is pushing to have him designated a high-risk offender — a legal status that would tighten restrictions on his future and ensure that any release or treatment decisions by Quebec’s mental health tribunal are subject to higher scrutiny by the Superior Court.
As families speak directly to the man at the center of their pain, today’s proceedings will mark a solemn moment of reckoning — not just for justice, but for healing.
