Quebec City car crash could have been 'much worse' if not for warm weather, pure luck

Catherine Plasse-Ferlandsaid agreeing to have lunch with a total stranger may have saved her life.

Plasse-Ferland was sitting by a cafeteria window, in the building where she works in Quebec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood on Wednesday, just minutes beforea car came crashing through it.

"I had a guardian angel," said Plasse-Ferland a woman who suggested she join her on the rooftop patio, on what was oneofthe first warm, sunny daysafter a cold, wet spring.

Otherwitnessesalso said the mild weather may have had asignificant impact on the outcome of the crash,whichleft 12 people injured, three of them seriously.

The car came to a halt inside the cafeteria of thesix-storey building, at the corner of Charest and Langelier boulevards, and burstinto flames just before 1 p.m. ET.

According to witnesses, two cars collided at the busy intersection, projectingone through the cafeteria's front window.

"I think everyone involved was really lucky," said Francis Major, who worksfor Umaneo, a software company inthe building.

The building houses a shared office space, called La Station. All of its people "were eating outside or were on the terrace," Major said.

Likewise, Major and his colleagues were taking part in a music class at the back of the building when the crash happened.

"It's the only day of the week that we aren't all in the cafeteria," said Major, a trained first responder,who quickly stepped in to help the injured.

He said he founda man and a woman pinned betweenthe car andthe back wall of the room. No sooner had he helped them and the vehicle's driver get outsideand the car exploded.

"It wasn't like in the movies, but almost," he said.

Car allegedly speeding

Others also rushed to help. Jean Morissette was sitting with a group in a conference roomnext to the cafeteriawhen he heard what sounded like an explosion.

"When we went out we saw a woman laying on the ground," said Morissette, whopulled thatwomanout of the buildingshortly before theexplosion.

"She was in a state of shock. She was pale I'm really worried about her," he said, hours after the incident.

Quebec City fire Chief Bill Noonan said 12 people were sent to hospital, although none sustained life-threatening injuries.

Hospital officials said three of them are in serious condition.The drivers of both vehicles are among the injured, police said.

The building was evacuated, butthefire was quickly extinguished, said Noonan.

While the structure was not compromised by the damage, people living in the building's condominiumswon't be able to go home until at least 9 p.m., while accident reconstruction experts carry out their investigation.

3rd car rear-ended

The crash may have involved more than two vehicles.

Eyewitness Diane Poitras said she was driving her car a few blocks up the street when she was rear-ended by a grey SUV.

"His vehiclewas stuck in my rear bumper," said Poitras.

"When he managed to get free, he sped off, andhe was swerving between vehicles," she said.

Several eyewitnesses also told CBC News about the SUV, seenspeeding on CharestBoulevard in the minutes precedingthe crash.

Moussa Sangar, whose office is just behindthe cafeteria, saw the driver get out of his vehicle.

"He was really in a state of shock," said Sangar, describing him as "dazed"but seemingly not seriously injured.

Sangarsaid he thought the entire building was crashing down on him, concluding the driver "had to be going fast."

"He jumped the sidewalk, went through two rows of tables and went all the way to the sink at the back of the room."

Quebec City police spokesperson Cindy Par said investigators are questioning several eyewitnesses to determine what happened.

"All theories will be analyzed," said Par.

CharestBoulevard remainsclosed between Marie-de-l'Incarnation and de la Couronne streets. Par said people should avoid that areafor the restof the day.