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Pilot François Leroux was transported to Suroît Hospital in critical condition Sunday afternoon during the Valleyfield Regattas, according to the regatta Facebook page.
Emergency services were called at about 2:30 p.m. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) did not provide the name of the injured pilot, but did say his injuries could endanger his life.
The 56-year-old pilot was evacuated, unconscious, from his Hydro 350 class 447 following a spectacular double flip when he had been in third position.
The Valleyfield Regattas are an event in which hydroplanes — a light, fast motorboat that can attain speeds of 225 km/h — race on the water.
The remainder of the afternoon’s racing program was cancelled “out of respect for the family,” the regatta authority said on its Facebook page.
An SQ investigator was en route to the venue on Sunday afternoon to examine the craft to try to understand the circumstances of the incident.
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