Mum of teen who died under burning asphalt delivers heartwrenching 10-word remark
The teen tragically died in a workplace accident.
A 19-year-old teenager tragically died in a workplace accident on Tuesday leaving his family heartbroken. Matis Dugast, joined a public works company as a wheelbarrow operator in January 2025, and passed away earlier this week.
He lost his life after being fully engulfed in 200-degree asphalt at a construction site in Sainte-Flaive-des-Loups, Vendée. Two days after the tragedy, the victim’s mother said she wants to keep his memory alive.
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She told Journal des Sables: “We no longer sleep, we no longer eat."
She added: "Right now, it's hell on Earth. At 6:16pm, our family died.”
To keep her son's memory alive and so that "no family has to go through what we are going through", his mother is considering creating an association to raise awareness and prevent dangers in construction trades.
She said: "It (The association) will bear my son's name and its purpose will be to prevent workplace risks. We want to help people, give them a sense of purpose, and allow them to speak out.
"To gain recognition for these high-risk professions. We don't want such horrors to continue. We want him to live on through us and this association."
Matis Dugast was born in March 2006 in Charleville-Mézières and was the youngest of four siblings, with three sisters.
Just three months later, his family moved to Rives de l'Yon in Vendée. His mother remembers him often saying he was from Vendée, not the Ardennes.
She described him as full of energy and joy—“a real lifesaver” in daily life. The family also wants a silent march to be organised for their lost son.
She said: "We'll talk as a family to set a date, but it will be in the next few weeks. We want to honour him. And above all, put a stop to all these workplace accidents!"
