CTV News has obtained surveillance footage of an explosion at Ferrari Quebec two years ago that left a Montreal man with severe burns and life-threatening injuries.
Richard Papazian, a husband and father of two, was rushed to the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) burn centre in critical condition, where he was placed in a medically-induced coma for four weeks.
Papazian suffered from second- and third-degree burns to more than 56 per cent of his body.
He underwent several failed skin grafts, multiple surgeries and required dialysis because of deteriorating kidney function.
His wife took an indefinite leave of absence from work to care for him.
CTV News has reviewed the entire 28-minute video showing the explosion on August 7, 2024, the aftermath, and the arrival of first responders.
The footage is taken on the second floor of the dealership.
Papazian chose not to watch the video, beyond a brief excerpt included in a CTV News broadcast.
“I haven’t watched the video and I’m not ready to watch the video at this point,” said Papazian.
$20.8-million lawsuit
Papazian is suing the luxury dealership, Ferrari North America and the Ferrari head office in Maranello, Italy for $20.8 million, alleging the explosion was caused by “gross negligence, recklessness and willful misconduct.”
The lawsuit names employees, managers, and the owner of the Ferrari Quebec dealership, Gad Bitton.
Bitton is the president and CEO of Holand Automotive Group, the luxury car retailer that owns Ferrari Quebec. It is a sprawling global enterprise, with Ferrari dealerships in locations stretching from Torrance, California all the way to Bucharest, in Romania.
Ferrari belonged to Quebec multimillionaire
The car that exploded belonged to Quebec real estate mogul and multi-millionaire Luc Poirier.
Poirier’s vast collection of cars and motorcycles includes Lamborghinis, McLarens, Porches and Ducatis.
Ferraris, though, are his preferred brand. He owns 39 of them, mostly limited-edition models ranging from 1967 to 2023.
Poirier confirmed to CTV News his 2004 Ferrari 360 was at the Ferrari Quebec dealership for cosmetic repairs.
That same summer, Papazian went to the dealership and alleges in his lawsuit that a salesman offered to take him up to the second floor to show him Poirier’s Ferrari.
According to the lawsuit, the salesman tried to start the car repeatedly. Meanwhile, gas was leaking from the car onto the floor. The fuel and vapours ignited, causing an explosion and engulfing Papazian in flames.
‘Indefensible act of gross negligence’
After emerging from his coma, Papazian learned the fuel rail and injectors had been removed from the engine of Poirier’s car.
The lawsuit claims “the removal of critical fuel-handling components turned the vehicle into a ticking time bomb.”
It also alleges “the keys were even carelessly left in the vehicle for anyone to start the engine, a reckless and indefensible act of gross negligence...”
It added that “the battery had not been disconnected yet such a simple gesture would have prevented the explosion.”
Poirier confirmed to CTV News the removal of the fuel rail and injectors was done without his knowledge or consent, and that he first learned about the explosion when he received an anonymous phone call.
Ferrari Quebec staff was ‘silenced,’ lawsuit alleges
Papazian’s lawsuit claims Bitton "issued a gag order to his employees" and “silenced all his staff”.
Papazian said he questions why there was no media coverage of the incident when it happened.
“I really don’t understand how it could happen that a car could blow up in a dealership, someone could almost be killed by the explosion, and that there was no media coverage. I found that very suspect,” said Papazian.
The lawsuit alleges the absence of media coverage was “certainly due to Bitton’s influence and desire to preserve the false image of a respectable establishment…”
CTV News reached out to Ferrari Quebec for comment but did not receive a response. However, following reporting by CTV News in early May, Ferrari Quebec issued a statement through a public relations firm, saying the dealership would not be commenting on the circumstances of the event because of the ongoing legal process.
The statement addressed allegations about Bitton, saying “the current portrayals do not accurately reflect Mr. Gad Bitton’s character. Those who know him know that he is a deeply committed man who has built his career through hard work and determination, and who places great importance on his responsibilities and human relations.”
‘The SPVM is not in a position to comment’
In April, CTV News obtained a heavily redacted police report detailing the incident. A source later provided a less redacted version of that report, which revealed a media statement was prepared to be recorded on the media police line – but the information was never released.
CTV News reached out to the SPVM for an explanation, but the police force declined the interview request and a provided a statement.
“The SPVM is not in a position to comment on the incident or on the civil lawsuit referenced in your request. As this is a civil dispute between private parties, the SPVM must refrain from any statement that could be interpreted as influencing, validating, or contradicting matters currently before the courts”.
The statement added, “the SPVM cannot disclose or discuss internal decision‑making processes regarding media communications; operational assessments made during an active or past intervention; investigative considerations, including the evaluation of potential criminal elements.”
F1 weekend tainted
As Montreal’s Grand Prix festivities are in full swing, Papazian said he can no longer enjoy what was once a passion.
“F1 weekend was a very big time for my family,” he said.
“We enjoyed the weekend together with F1 festivities and now I’m not interested in taking part in anything to do with F1 or Ferraris.”
Papazian said adding insult to injury, he is still waiting to get back his $20,000 deposit for the Ferrari he originally wanted to buy.
