A 5-year-old boy and his 63-year-old grandfather were hit by a female driver Monday morning as they were both walking to the bus stop. This is the third such incident to occur in Montreal in the last four days.
According to reports from the Montreal Police Department (SPVM), the accident occurred on Route 81e avenue, near Notre-Dame Street, in the Pointe-aux-Trembles district. The 81e Avenue is a wide thoroughfare that once offered four lanes of traffic. However, the number has been reduced to two lanes recently, with the addition of cycle lanes in 2021.
At the time of the incident, the young man and his grandfather were waiting for the school bus. They were on the west side, on Route 81e avenue. The driver was traveling south on the same artery.
According to a police source, the grandfather realized he was on the wrong side of the street when he saw the bus coming, and tried to cross the street from east to west. It was at this point that he was allegedly hit by the driver, who was traveling south on Route 81.e avenue.
The 5-year-old boy’s life was initially feared, but his condition stabilized late this morning and he is no longer in danger. As for the 63-year-old man, he was conscious when he was taken to hospital and his life is not in danger.
Both, however, suffered serious injuries. The 34-year-old female driver of the vehicle was taken to hospital to be treated for nervous shock. According to our information, she was accompanied by her children at the time of the collision.
This is the third collision involving a young person to occur in the last four days in the metropolis. Last Thursday, two children were hit in the space of a few hours, collisions that were added to several recent accidents, once again highlighting the increase in collisions associated with the start of the school year and the return of congestion.
“Taking action to make travel safer is not a slogan, it’s a priority. When we deploy more photo radars and accelerate the development of safer, human-scale living environments, we save lives,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante responded immediately.
Mme Plante had just called for 300 more photo radars in Quebec City, which is currently only planning 250 more for the entire province. “My message to motorists: please slow down. Stay vigilant at all times. Our local streets are not shortcuts. Saving a life is more important than taking a few extra minutes to get to your destination,” she said Thursday.
In 2023, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) recorded 63 pedestrian deaths, compared to 82 the previous year, a decrease of 23%. A sign that the problem remains very real, 2022 marked the worst toll for pedestrians in 15 years.
With Maryse Tessier, The Press