“I don’t want to tell women to stay hidden, but I don’t want that to happen to others,” Valérie Trudel-Guindon explains. After narrowly escaping from her alleged attacker on Monday night on the Matapédia bridge, the young woman told her story in the hope that it would not happen again.
Surrounded by the protective presence of her parents in the backyard of their residence in Saint-Arthur, New Brunswick, Valérie Trudel-Guindon speaks slowly. Every word brings him back to his experience, but he knows his testimony is important.
The 21-year-old said he went to the Matapédia railway bridge around 9 pm Monday.
I know this place is there because everyone is fishing there. I’ll just look at the water, I’m waiting for mine girlfriend so we could have dinner at the campsitehe explained.
The girl explained that she only stayed there for 15 minutes before deciding to return to her car. There was something stirring in his sight.
I saw a man coming from the edge of New Brunswick. He was wearing black, I couldn’t see his eyes, and he ran towards me. I ran, he grabbed me by the back of the sweater, I fell, he tried to get up through my sweater, he tore my sweater and my panties.he said in a trembling voice.
Valérie Trudel-Guindon explained that she struggled by punching and kicking, then started running again. However, he said he tripped on the rails and hit his head as he fell, causing him to lose consciousness for a while.
When I woke up the man was coming back to New Brunswick and there was a train cominghe says.
He believes that this train can scare his alleged attacker, and save him.
” I’m glad I got out of it, but it’s traumatic … I want to tell women, and men, to be careful. “
The young woman then said she got back in her car, locked the doors and immediately contacted her husband, who alerted the police and hurried to join her.
A family in shock
Valérie Trudel-Guindon filed an official complaint with RCMP who will open an investigation. The communications department of RCMP however, did not respond to our interview requests.
Valérie’s father Daniel Guindon is still shocked.
I’m glad our little girl came home, but we’re still having a hard time digesting it. He is our only childhe pointed out.
This is our community, we want to go for a nice quiet walk, but we need to always be alert. Disappointing to say, but especially the womanadded Mr. Guindon.
” I can already see a change in her, she’s not so confident anymore, more nervous. But I’m happy to have our baby, it could have been worse … I’m proud of him, he’s a survivor, not a victim. “
He specified that, like Valérie, he did not want to intimidate the population, but wanted to let people know the situation in order to remain vigilant.
This is also the message that Matapédia mayor Nicole Lagacé wants to send, saying she takes the situation seriously and asks for caution.
On the other hand, it does not want to discourage its citizens to go to the area. I’m not yet at the stage of alerting people, we hope it’s really an isolated eventhe says.
The mayor said he learned of the events Monday night on social networks.
He then contacted the Sûreté du Québec to confirm the facts and ensure there would be more patrols in the area of the railway bridge. It is not considered a dangerous place, it is a fairly busy place during the dayhe says.
People are fishing by the river, others are walking, there is a small bird path so there is still pretty much traffic during the day, but at night it is a bit less.explained by Ms. Lagacé.
With information from Roxanne Langlois
Source: Radio-Canada
