Montreal | Pedestrian succumbs to injuries, driver arrested

Two vehicles collided
at “high speed” in Villeray

New drama in the streets of Montreal. A pedestrian in her thirties was killed Sunday after being hit in a “high speed” collision involving two vehicles, one of the drivers of which was arrested for driving while impaired.

It all happened around 3:15 a.m., at the corner of boulevard Saint-Laurent and rue Jean-Talon, in the Villeray sector. The first police officers, who arrived on the scene shortly after the initial collision, first found a pedestrian “seriously injured in the upper body”, particularly in the head.

According to the first information transmitted by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), the two drivers were in motion when they collided “at high speed”, hitting under the force of the impact a pedestrian who was was at the intersection at the same time, said officer Caroline Chèvrefils, spokesperson for the police force.

The 31-year-old pedestrian was rushed to a hospital, where her condition was initially considered “critical”. His death was later confirmed late Sunday morning.

In the first vehicle, a 47-year-old driver was arrested for driving while impaired. He appeared Sunday afternoon by videoconference and will remain detained. In the other car, the 35-year-old driver suffered a nervous shock, while the 26-year-old passenger suffered upper body injuries.

These three men were also transported to a hospital center, but there was no fear for the life of any of them. The 26-year-old passenger was conscious during transport.

On the way from The Press, Sunday afternoon, relatives of the victim gathered in the middle of the intersection, where debris from the collision was still very visible. They did not wish to speak on the subject, being still in shock. Shortly before, investigators had been dispatched to the scene and a portion of Saint-Laurent Boulevard was temporarily closed to traffic. The section was then reopened during the day, once the cleaning of the roadway had been carried out.

Montreal investigators should in particular view video tapes from surveillance cameras of nearby businesses to better understand the movement of motorists before the impact, which so far remains “unknown” by the police force. Potential witnesses could also be encountered in the vicinity.

An “almost motorway” intersection

At Piétons Québec, the director general, Sandrine Cabana-Degani, spoke on Sunday of a “tragic” event which once again demonstrates the need to review the configuration of certain intersections.

“In a very urban environment next to the Jean-Talon market, the configuration of this intersection is almost highway with a ramp, the bend and the widening of the street”, adds M^me Degani, calling on the City to study a potential revision “of the number of lanes, the width of the lanes or the general configuration of the intersection”, the ramp being “complex to navigate for pedestrians”.

The mayoral office reacts

In the office of Mayor Valérie Plante, it is argued that “this tragic event bears witness to the importance of fighting against speeding and the excessive consumption of alcohol while driving, dangerous behaviors that put lives in danger and which must be strongly denounced”.

“We are working hard to accelerate measures protecting all active travel. […] The traffic calming plan for this sector, which is currently being developed, as well as the upcoming cycling redevelopment of rue Jean-Talon will be strong measures that will contribute to the safety of the neighborhood,” says the press attaché. Catherine Cadotte, pleading that “it is necessary that national actions are also put in place”.

It would probably be the seventh fatal collision since the beginning of the year. “It’s huge and it’s a worrying trend,” says M^me Degani. In early May, a 90-year-old pedestrian who was hit by the driver of a scooter in Montreal also succumbed to his injuries. It was the sixth fatal collision on the island of Montreal this year, and the fourth resulting in the death of a pedestrian.