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 intersection 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 located 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 on 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 impaired driving and charges are expected to be filed against him. 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.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
The police perimeter that was installed early in the morning, Sunday, pushed back to the intersection between rue Mozart and boulevard Saint-Laurent.
Montreal investigators should in particular view video tapes from surveillance cameras of nearby businesses to better understand the movement of motorists preceding 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, general manager Sandrine Cabana-Degani spoke on Sunday of a “tragic” event which once again demonstrates the need to review the configuration of certain intersections.
It’s a complex intersection where you can still go fairly quickly, especially when there’s no traffic at night. There are certainly elements in the facilities that could be improved to ensure that it is not possible to cross at high speed.
Sandrine Cabana-Degani, CEO of Pedestrians Quebec
“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 Mme 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”.
Remember that for the whole of 2022, 20 pedestrians died in the metropolis, compared to 11 in 2021, an increase of 82%. The number of seriously injured pedestrians has also increased: it stood at 66 in 2022, compared to 40 in 2021 (+65%). As for pedestrians slightly injured, there were 798 last year, compared to 756 in 2021 (+5.6%).
It would probably be the seventh fatal collision since the beginning of the year. “It’s huge and it’s a worrying trend,” says Mme Degani. In early May, a 90-year-old pedestrian who was hit by a scooter driver in Montreal also died of 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.