Pedestrian caught in Saint-Michel in 2023 | The trucker had not stopped at the stop, concludes the coroner

The truck driver who fatally struck a 22-year-old woman last summer in Montreal did not stop and was in a zone prohibited for heavy vehicles, according to a coroner’s report. The district, which is preparing a calming plan, ensures that arrangements will be put in place.

It was last June 22. While taking a pedestrian crossing, Dilan Kaya was fatally struck by the driver of a heavy truck at the corner of rue Bélair and 22^e Avenue, in the Saint-Michel district.

His death caused a shock wave. The Press had also immediately met the victim’s father, Cuma Kaya, who simply could not explain how his daughter could have been cut down in this way. The man and his relatives could not be reached again Thursday.

In a report on this case that we obtained, coroner Jean Brochu concludes that it was an “accidental” collision, recalling that the victim was in the blind spot of the truck and that she was not “looking in the direction of where the truck was coming from before crossing.” At the time of impact, the young woman was one meter into the pedestrian crossing.

That said, Mr. Brochu adds that several other factors contributed to the accident, including the fact that “the truck did not come to a complete stop on rue Bélair” and that it “was in a zone prohibited for trucks.

The stop sign, which had been installed temporarily due to the SRB Pie-IX construction site nearby, was “placed very low and poorly positioned”, especially since there was no stop line on the roadway. What’s more, “the truck was not equipped with anti-mirrors allowing the driver to detect the presence of a pedestrian near the front of his truck”, we read in the report.

Recommendations

Many recommendations are made in the coroner’s analysis, firstly to the Automobile Insurance Company (SAAQ), but also to Transport Canada. At the SAAQ, Mr. Brochu suggests considering making the installation of “penetrating flashing lights” mandatory at the front of heavy vehicles as well as an exterior audible alarm “to notify vulnerable users” located nearby.

According to the coroner, all trucks should also be equipped with anti-mirrors and “detection systems for pedestrians and cyclists”, in other words “cameras and audible alarms […] to notify the driver » of the presence of pedestrians or even cyclists.

Transport Canada should also make it mandatory to install “CAUTION, BLIND SPOTS” warning stickers, in order to make all users aware of the reality of heavy vehicles, says Jean Brochu.

Change is coming, says Montreal

For several years, residents of the neighborhood have raised concerns about the dangerous nature of rue Bélair, which many motorists have used for years to bypass work related to the SRB Pie-IX.

“Every day without exception, I fear for my safety and that of my children,” we read for example in a message from resident Maxime Thibault which was sent in November 2020 to district councilor Sylvain Ouellet.

Called to react, the latter affirms that “the heart of the problem has been eliminated” in the sector since the intersection of rue Jean-Talon with boulevard Pie-IX, where a pedestrian tunnel was erected until last November, was reopened to traffic.

“Even though there were detour routes for the trucks, they didn’t follow them. And the last place you could turn left was at Bélair. This is no longer the case now, as on [le gros] of the Pie-IX section between Rosemont Boulevard and the Metropolitan Autoroute,” maintains Mr. Ouellet, who adds that a speed bump has also since been added to the west of the intersection where the collision occurred. .

Although truck traffic has decreased in recent months, “there are still a lot of trucks circulating on rue Bélair,” notes Maxime Thibault.

“They like it better [cette rue] because there are no lights, it’s easier for them to drive,” said the citizen, who would especially like to see one-way systems installed in the street to cut off through traffic.

“There is absolutely nothing that has been done to prevent this from happening again,” denounces Mr. Thibault, who calls on the City to act as quickly as possible.

“It’s true that rue Bélair has a particular configuration, and I would personally like to see that street again […] with permanent arrangements,” replies Sylvain Ouellet. He promises to ensure that this will be part of the next calming plan for the Saint-Michel district, to be published in the coming months. The same exercise has already been carried out for the Parc-Extension and Villeray districts.

With Bruno Marcotte, The Press