A North Vancouver teen is in intensive care after being struck by a vehicle while she crossed the road.
The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Mount Seymour Parkway and Mount Seymour Road.
Police say the 18-year-old walked north into the intersection while east-west traffic had a green light. The teen had her phone out and earbuds in when she was struck, according to Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman.
“We really caution pedestrians to not be on their phone, not have earbuds in, to look both ways – all the usual warnings,” he said.
The girl remains in hospital.
“(Her injuries) are quite serious actually. She’s in a medically induced coma in (the intensive care unit) with head injuries. It kind of went from bad to worse. The family is with her,” De Jong said.
Police aren’t considering any charges for the driver.
“It’s tragic for the driver as well, of course. Anytime you hit a pedestrian, it’s very traumatic. She’s not at fault.”
The collision happened just two days before the province was set to launch its annual pedestrian safety campaign, aimed at getting drivers and pedestrians to be more careful. November typically has the highest number of pedestrian fatalities as people are not used to the earlier sunsets. 2014/2015 was a particularly bad year for pedestrian collisions in North Vancouver with several people sent to hospital with serious injuries.
