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Volume1 Issue6
N
ews and
E
vents
HELPINGLAC-MÉGANTIC
RECOVERFROMDISASTER
O
n theeveof thefirst anniversaryof theLac-
Mégantic tragedy, the Journéesdentaires interna-
tionalesduQuébec (JDIQ),with thehelpof the
provincial forensic sciences andpathology labora-
tory (LSJML), raised$20,000 tohelp the strickencommunity.
TheLSJMLcame to theassistanceof thecoroner’soffice
immediately following the trainderailment that killed47
people inLac-Mégantic. “Our expertsplayeda key role in
reconstructing the sceneof thedisaster and identifying the
victims,” saysDr. SylvainDesranleau, a specialist in forensic
odontology. “Amongother things,wewere responsible for
comparing thedental radiographsofmissingpersonswith
those taken fromhuman remains found in the rubble.”
Timepassed, but the tragedy remainedonDr.Desranleau's
mind. A fewweeks after thederailment, heaskedhimself
whatmorehecoulddo for thedevastatedcommunity. “I felt
apersonal connection; Iwanted todo something tohelp the
victims recover,” he recalls. That’swhere the ideacame from to
hold a fundraisingconference toexplain theworkperformed
by theLSJML.
“I discussed theprojectwithmydentist colleagues, and they
wereall veryenthusiasticabout becoming involvedonce
again,” saidDr. Desranleau. Armedwith this support, hemet
withDr. Denis Forest, JDIQdirector, topresent his ideaof the
fundraiser. “Our discussionwas verypositive, and theOrder of
"Everything changed for the citizens
ofLac-Mégantic,Quebec, on July6.
In the earlymorninghours, a trainfrom
theMontreal,Maine&AtlanticRailway
Corporationderailed in themiddle of downtown,
causinga convoyof tank cars full of crude oil to
explode.The resultingfiredestroyed theveryheart
of the smallmunicipality, andkilled47people."
–JCDA, Issue6, 2013, p. 336-37
I felt a personal connection; Iwanted to
do something tohelp the victims recover.
–Dr. SylvainDesranleau
