Video of pedestrian being struck prompts police warning on road safety

By News Staff

A disturbing dashcam video showing a young person being struck by a vehicle while racing to catch a bus has prompted police to reiterate an age-old warning; look both ways before you cross the street.

The video, shot by Christopher Drost, shows two young people dashing across Parkside Drive just north of The Queensway on Sunday night at around 6:20 p.m.

In an apparent rush to catch an approaching TTC bus, they narrowly avoid a vehicle in the southbound lane before a northbound vehicle crashes into one of them, sending him flying through the air.

Despite the violent collision, the young man wasn’t seriously injured and walked away from the scene.

Drost said he felt compelled to share the footage on his Facebook page.

“Driving home tonight (I) witnessed the kind of thing that would make any human cringe,” he wrote. “Watching two young adults run across the road to catch the bus. Except they weren’t paying attention to traffic … nor was the driver paying attention to the two running.”

“(We) pulled over and immediately went over to assist. Was really fearing the worst. The guy was remarkably fine with a monster goose egg on his head and some nasty scrapes…And didn’t want to go to the hospital.”

After viewing the footage, Const. Clint Stibbe says the outcome could have been much worse.

“We are very lucky that he is still with us,” Stibbe told CityNews. “The reality is that the impact that he took from the car isn’t generally what kills a pedestrian. It’s the secondary impact when you actually land on the ground.”

Stibbe notes that while pedestrian collisions are down slightly over last year, there’s usually a spike in the fall and winter months due “primarily to shorter daylight hours.”

“It’s now dark during what would be rush hour periods … that’s a contributing factor,” he said.

So is inattention from both drivers, and pedestrians.

“Pedestrians have to recognize that they are the most vulnerable road user on the roadway, they have no form of protection. Actions like this are putting yourself at risk, and in some cases, ending your life.”

Drivers should make sure their focus is on the road, and that their windows aren’t obscured as the weather gets colder, he advises.

And pedestrians should use common sense to avoid becoming a stark statistic.

“Make sure that when you are stepping onto the roadway you are doing it when it’s safe to do so … you have to make sure you’ve accounted for all traffic in all directions, and that your movement is not done in haste, because unfortunately when you’re rushed to do something, you miss things and I think we see a perfect example of that in this video.”

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