A man visiting West Vancouver is in critical condition with serious head injuries after being struck by a vehicle while crossing Marine Drive.
The incident happened around 9 p.m. Thursday evening at the 23rd Street crosswalk.
A West Vancouver police officer was just a few car lengths back and witnessed the incident as the 80-year-old driver of a Mazda ran into the 50-year-old victim and the dog he was walking.
“It was obviously dark at the time and raining and vision was obstructed a bit. The officer, at the very last moment… sees a flash of the white colouration of the dog that the pedestrian was walking with and then sees the impact,” said Const. Jeff Palmer, West Vancouver Police spokesman. “He was struck and thrown quite a distance.”
The officer called for an ambulance and ran out to assist the victim.
As of Friday morning, the pedestrian remained in intensive care. The dog received minor injuries in the collision.
The vehicles were travelling at the 50-kilometre-per-hour speed limit at the time, Palmer said, and the victim was wearing dark clothing making him more difficult for the driver to see in the already dark and rainy conditions.
“His first awareness there was a pedestrian was the impact with the vehicle,” Palmer said. “There aren’t any charges being contemplated at this point but the investigation isn’t concluded.”
Palmer said drivers need to exercise extra caution, keeping an eye out for pedestrians in these conditions, but added people on foot also need to ensure the road is safe before they step into it.
“Have some positive indication the driver has seen you before you step into the path of the vehicle,” he said. “Whether the (driver) is properly or lawfully yielding in any circumstance isn’t as important as avoiding being struck by a car.”
