Tag: investigation

Ontario woman dies in pedestrian-bus accident

On behalf of Rooz Law posted in Auto-Pedestrian Accidents on Tuesday, July 29, 2014.

Toronto officials say that a woman believed to be in her 20s or 30s died after a Brampton Transit bus hit her near the intersection of Humberline Drive and Finch Avenue in Etobicoke. The crash happened just before 6 a.m. on July 28 while it was still dark and heavily raining.

A preliminary accident investigation found that the bus was southbound on Humberline Drive and made a left turn onto Finch Avenue. The woman was heading north across the avenue when the bus hit her. When paramedics arrived, they observed the woman stuck under the bus. Toronto Fire personnel raised the vehicle and tried to rescue her without causing more injury. However, she was declared dead at the scene. The pedestrian accident caused the eastbound lanes of Finch Avenue to be shut down for several hours during the police investigation, but the lanes were reopened by noon.

Police say that both the woman and the bus driver had green lights. One official said that the rain and darkness did not help the situation. A worker at a nearby gas station also reported that the woman was wearing a black outfit. Despite the conditions, police believe that the accident was preventable, and it is likely that the transit bus driver will face charges.

The family members of pedestrians who are killed in accidents because of the negligence of others could be eligible for compensation under the Family Law Act. The compensation could reimburse certain family members, such as parents, siblings and children, for funeral expenses and the loss of companionship and guidance that they reasonably expected to receive had their loved ones not died.

Source: CTV News Toronto, ‘Woman struck by Brampton bus dies,” Kendra Mangione, July 28, 2014

Source: CanLII.org, ‘Family Law Act”

Source: Toronto Star, “Pedestrian dies after being struck by bus”, Laurent Bastien Corbeil, July 28, 2014

Woman killed by reversing pickup truck

On behalf of Rooz Law posted in Auto-Pedestrian Accidents on Thursday, April 24, 2014.

A 70-year-old woman lost her life on April 13 as she was crossing the street. Ontario Provincial Police teamed up with the city police forensic unit to help investigate the auto-pedestrian accident. According to authorities, the accident occurred on Pearl Street in Brockville at about 4 p.m. east of the intersection at Perth Street. The woman was crossing Pearl Street when a pickup truck that was backing up into a parking spot struck her.

The acting sergeant constable says that the man did not see the woman as she was crossing. The constable also stated that the man might have also driven forward over the woman after the initial strike. Although attempts were made at the scene of the accident to revive the woman, they were not successful, and she died from her injuries.

Police have not laid any charges against the driver, and they are treating the incident as an accident. Police initially heard that the woman was run over as the man was pulling out of a laneway, but their investigation concluded that the 56-year-old driver was attempting to parallel park at the time of the accident. A representative from the coroner’s office was also at the scene, and the investigation continued as police awaited results from an autopsy.

Even if criminal charges are not filed following an auto-pedestrian accident, the family of the deceased could still seek compensation for the damages that they realized due to the death. Damages may include the loss of benefits, support and companionship. In order to prevail, a lawyer for the family might demonstrate how the party who struck the victim was acting in a negligent manner or distracted.

Source: Recorder and Times, “Woman, 70, killed by pickup truck”, Ronald Zajac, April 14, 2014