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Lille Court Acquits Students, University and Truck Driver in 2021 Initiation-Party Death Case

The judges said the case failed to prove intoxication or coercion during the student event.

Overview

  • Following the prosecutor’s request, the Tribunal de Lille cleared all defendants of hazing, complicity and involuntary manslaughter.
  • Simon Guermonprez, 19, died on the A27 after leaving a medical-school initiation, having taken a selfie on a bridge before being fatally struck by a truck.
  • The court cited testimony and CCTV indicating he did not appear drunk, found no evidence of forced drinking and noted beverages were heavily diluted.
  • The truck driver was found to have committed no fault, with the ruling noting Simon had climbed over a safety barrier.
  • The family, through lawyer Damien Legrand, condemned the verdict as a message of “total impunity” and criticized the university’s oversight of initiation practices.