Stabbed in 2020, Martin Legros continues to forge ahead

In February 2020, Martin Legros was stabbed at La Chope bar in Chateauguay while defending a bartender. Three years, a coma and several operations later, Legros sits at a quiet table in the bar where his life changed overnight to tell his story.

Translation Amanda Bennett

“It was usually the same customers who came in on Fridays,” he recalls.

That night, three intoxicated individuals from Montreal entered the bar. They brought out their own alcohol. The bartender Melanie Fyfe came in to warn them that they had to consume drinks sold on the premises and kicked them out. Things got heated when she followed the Montrealers out.

With 10 years of experience as a bouncer, Legros stepped in. “Even today, if I were to see that, and I’m sure I would get involved. I can’t help it,” he said.

The attacker pulled out a 30 cm blade and stabbed him in the stomach. The man had seven knives on him.

“That night, if ten of us had stood up, maybe I wouldn’t have been stabbed,” says the victim who was the only person who stood up for the barmaid.

However, people came to his aid afterwards. The karaoke manager, Mike Smith, put pressure on his wound to prevent him from losing too much blood while help arrived. This saved his life because his vena cava had been hit. It is used to circulate blood from the head, neck, arms and chest to the heart and should normally have emptied in less than a minute.

Contacted by Le Soleil in Chateauguay, Mr. Smith does not boast about it. He is only happy that Mr. Legros is still alive. He insists on reminding people of the importance of first aid courses.

Waking up in the middle of a pandemic

When Martin Legros went into a coma, it was prior to the pandemic. He regained consciousness in mid-April, unable to see his family because of the lockdown. “When you wake up from an ordeal like that, you need your loved ones. I went through hell,” says the man who was unable to see his family for four months.

He almost died twice: on the evening of the attack and on 12 March, when his internal organs were swollen. About 15 doctors told him he should have been dead. “They told me that if I am still alive it is because of my strength of character and my physical strength,” he says.

Mr. Legros did not want to accept the possibility that he would not be able to walk again. “I secretly took my walker and did laps in my room to strengthen my legs,” he says.

A light sentence

His attacker, Benoit Bergeron, was sentenced to four years in prison, which was later reduced to just over two and a half years due to pre-trial detention. A light sentence, according to Mr. Legros.

Despite that, he prefers to turn the page and devote his energy to healing. He does not believe he can work again, so he tries to find ways to occupy his time instead of feeling sorry for himself.

“He [the abuser] wrote me a letter of apology, he wrote: ‘Sorry for ruining your evening’. What?! My night? It’s my life, my loved ones’ lives, it’s not a night you ruined! He is not aware of what he has done.

-Martin Legros

Armed assaults in Châteauguay

- 2019 : 49

- 2020 : 53

- 2021 : 56

- 2022 : 64

- 2023 : 21

(Source: Châteauguay Police Department)