A Quebec coroner has reiterated the need for improvements to Highway 50 after a head-on collision occurred late last year. In a recently published report, Coroner Martine Lachance attributed the death of a 71-year-old man from Boisbriand to the lack of physical separation between opposing lanes on the highway.

The fatal incident took place in the evening on December 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 approaching truck. This led to the vehicle veering off course, hitting the right-side guardrail, and crossing into the eastbound lane, where it was struck on the passenger side by a van.

Weather and road conditions were not found to be contributing factors in the accident. The road was dry, visibility was good, and inspections revealed no mechanical issues with the vehicle. The absence of a central median or guardrail was highlighted as a crucial factor that could have prevented the tragic incident.

Earlier this year, two coroners also highlighted safety concerns on Highway 50, linking nine other fatalities to accidents on the same road due to its undivided design. While some improvements have been made, Coroner Lachance emphasized the urgent need for median guardrails to separate traffic in both directions and urged the province to expedite widening projects to convert the road into four lanes. These measures were deemed essential to prevent future injuries and loss of life on the highway.