3 Montreal pedestrians killed in 2 accidents involving snow trucks
Woman dies in 2nd accident hours after elderly couple struck while crossing street
Montreal's mayor promised to do everything possible to ensure the safety of pedestrians after three elderly people were killed within hours of each other in two accidents with snow removal trucks on Tuesday in the city.
'[The driver] realized what had happened.… He pulled at his hair. He fell back against his truck.' — Annie Rivard, witness
The deaths shocked many Montrealers — from a witness who watched in horror as a truck rolled over an elderly man, to the mayor, who called a late-afternoon news conference to express his grief.
"These types of events are true tragedies. It is very difficult for me to find the words to express the emotions that I am feeling right now," said Mayor Gérald Tremblay.
Both accidents, which happened within five hours of each other in different neighbourhoods, involved trucks that were owned by private contractors doing work for the city.
First accident happened mid-morning
Police said a man and a woman, both in their 70s, had a green light giving them permission to cross Émile-Duployé.
However, as they were crossing the road, a privately owned snow removal truck travelling west on Sherbrooke turned right, directly into their path.
Witness Annie Rivard watched in horror as the green and white truck made the turn at a very slow speed. She saw something was caught under the vehicle.
That's when the driver stopped his truck and got out, she said.
"I saw that he had realized what had happened.… He pulled at his hair. He fell back against his truck," said Rivard, who had been leaving Notre-Dame hospital across the street from the accident.
The male pedestrian, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ambulance service spokesman Bart Panarello said the woman, 71, was rushed across the street to the hospital with major injuries.
"When we got there, she was also crushed under the wheels, so we had to have the fire department help us move the truck," Panarello said.
"She was pronounced dead not long after."
Pedestrians had right of way
Police said even though the truck had a green light to cross the intersection, the pedestrians had the right of way.
"There's no additional light for pedestrians at this street corner so obviously it was the pedestrians' right of way," said Montreal police Const. Anie Lemieux.
"Is it possible [the driver] did not see the pedestrians as he was turning? That is what our collision investigators are also going to look into."
The driver worked for Transport D.M. Choquette, a company subcontracted by the city for snow clearing in the area.
2nd accident in Ahuntsic-Cartierville
Police said a woman in her 70s was hit by the truck at the corner of Fleury and Iberville streets near Hirondelles Park.
The woman died on the scene. Two hours after the accident, the body was still visible near a rear passenger wheel of the truck.
Police originally said the person was a man in his 40s, however officers corrected the information late Tuesday.
Mayor reminds drivers of road rules
Tremblay called on all snow truck drivers, private and public, to be more vigilant on the roads. The city has received near-record amounts of snowfall since the season began.
Tremblay also asked pedestrians to pay careful attention when crossing streets, even if they have the right of way.
He said he will wait for the police investigations to conclude before announcing any changes his administration will make to help prevent similar incidents.
'Security is a priority of our administration. We will do whatever is required.' — Gérald Tremblay, mayor of Montreal
However, he said he would look at the idea of factoring in safety measures in the tendering process.
"It is very important to understand the circumstances that led to these unfortunate events. This is why the police investigation will be carried out as quickly as possible," Tremblay said.
"Security is a priority of our administration. We will do whatever is required."
According to the City of Montreal, all of the fatal accidents with snow trucks in the past 10 years have involved vehicles belonging to private companies hired by the city to do snow removal.
The latest deaths bring the total fatalities involving snow trucks in the city this winter to four.
In December, a 49-year-old woman died after a plow struck her in Côte-des-Neiges.
The woman had been crossing Jean Brillant Street when she was run over by one of the wheels of the truck.
She had not been using a pedestrian walkway.
With files from the Canadian Press