A Quebec coroner has once again called on the Transport Ministry to enhance safety measures on Highway 50 following a head-on collision late last year.

Coroner Martine Lachance, in a recently published report, attributed the death of a 71-year-old Boisbriand man to the absence of a physical barrier between lanes on the highway. The fatal crash took place on Dec. 26, 2025, near Brownsburg-Chatham in the western Laurentians.

The victim was a passenger in a vehicle traveling west on Highway 50, also known as Autoroute Guy-Lafleur. According to the coroner’s findings, the driver was going at 111 km/h in a 100 km/h zone when she was momentarily blinded by an oncoming truck’s headlights.

Subsequently, the driver lost control of the car, hitting the right-side guardrail before veering into the eastbound lane, where the vehicle was struck on the passenger side by a van. Weather and road conditions were not deemed significant factors in the accident, with dry pavement and adequate visibility reported.

The absence of a central median or guardrail was highlighted by the coroner as a critical factor that could have prevented the vehicle from crossing into oncoming traffic. In a bid to address the safety concerns on Highway 50, Lachance emphasized the urgent need for installing median guardrails to separate traffic and expediting widening projects to convert the road into four lanes.

This plea for action comes in the wake of two coroners’ reports earlier this year that highlighted nine other fatalities resulting from collisions on Highway 50, underscoring the inherent risks associated with its current roadway configuration. Efforts have been made to improve certain sections of the highway, but additional measures are deemed crucial to avert future tragedies.