On May 8, Antoine Alléno, youngest son of three-star chef Yannick Alléno, was mowed down in the middle of the night in Paris by a notorious delinquent, drunk and without a license at the wheel of a stolen car.
Died on the spot, Antoine Alléno was only 24 years old and his life was ahead of him. His companion Anissa, injured that day, has been better since. Yesterday, Yannick Alléno, his ex-wife Isabelle and their eldest son Thomas, gave a long interview to the JDD and testify “pain in pain”.
From reception “creepy” in the hospital the night of the accident at the forensic institute “sordid” where Yannick Alléno saw his “kid behind glass”passing through innumerable administrative trifles yet so violent. “It’s a detail but I received a bill for 19 euros: the price of our night transport by ambulance to the hospital!”reveals to JDD the bruised father. A poignant story from which was born an unalterable will to act. “It would be an insult to Antoine to sit idly by.”
“Sparing others what we have been through”
Because the others, those who have never been confronted with such a tragedy, but may be one day, forget quickly according to Isabelle, Antoine’s mother. “The violence of losing a child, that’s two lines in the newspaper forgotten the next day when a whole family is hurt. It happens every day, but as long as we are not confronted with it, we cannot imagine it not.”
“When it happens to you, such a tragedy, you discover a mind-blowing world (…) a dehumanization that is difficult to live with”continues the chef of the Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, since helped in the creation of the association Antoine Alléno (read above)created “to spare others what we have been through”.
“I will spend the rest of my life fighting for a just sentence”assures Yannick Alléno at the mention of the judicial response to be given to the driver indicted for homicide and aggravated intentional injuries, today in pre-trial detention.
“It’s a crime. We killed our child”
“I forbid myself to think of him, to pronounce his name”, admits the mother of Antoine. His older brother, Thomas, recalling that his family has already been condemned contrary to the perpetrator and, now, is part of an active resilience. For her, and for others. “We took life. That’s the difference. Now we have to live with it and transform it.”
Act to make it heard and understood that Antoine’s death was not inevitable. “I’m not sure I want to consider what happened on May 8 as an accident, slice Yannick Alléno. For me, it’s a crime. We killed our child.”
During the confinement, Antoine Alléno had nurtured and then launched the idea of his first restaurant in the 7e district of Paris: Burger & Son. His partner, Anissa, became the chef and all the staff remained.
“Give me the flag I’ll take care of it”she said to Yannick Alléno. “He was very proud of our name but never used it as a pass.recalls his brother, Thomas. On the contrary, he wanted to exist and be recognized by his first name. He was always in the gift of himself.”
“She was born from this need to be welded”summarizes Yannick Alléno when explaining the purpose of the Antoine Alléno association: “provide families with moral, psychological and financial support”. “Bereavement support must be provided. Regardless of social status or religion… You have lost a child, we must take care of you”believes the head of the Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, whose commitment is not limited to road accidents. “We will focus our action on victims of acts of violence under the age of 25 and their relatives”says his ex-wife, Isabelle.
“We don’t want state subsidies: we want to stay free”advances the family of Antoine Alléno, who is looking for donations of course. “The project is still under construction but we want the association to be powerful in order to have the means to act.” In this, funds have already been raised in the heart of the summer, in particular thanks to a charity dinner for wine lovers in Monaco. Yannick Alléno also wants to use his experience with Alain Ducasse and the creation ten years ago of the Culinary College of France to support small producers. “We have therefore created a ”college” which will be able to bring citizen reflection to the public authorities and make proposals.”
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