Car, pedestrian collisions up in Saskatoon

Saskatoon paramedics responded to double the amount of calls of pedestrians getting hit by cars in August, prompting them to remind residents to be alert on the road.

In August, MD Ambulances responded to 14 calls of pedestrians who were struck by cars, up from seven in the same period last year. They also responded to 17 calls in September, up from 14 in 2014.

“Whether the pedestrian, driver or cyclist is at fault, any time you get hit by a vehicle, you’re going to lose,” MD public affairs director Troy Davies said.
 
Davies said they wanted to get the message out to the public now before the approaching winter causes icy road conditions, limiting the ability of cars to stop suddenly should a person or bike step in front of them.
 
He reminded drivers to limit distractions in the car including texting, while pedestrians should make sure a driver sees them before they start to cross.
 
“Respect each other and obey the rules of the road, but don’t assume that everybody is obeying those rules,” Davies said.

On Saturday, a 65-year-old pedestrian died after they were hit by a car while crossing the intersection of Broadway Avenue and 8th Street on Oct. 17.

Davies said so far this year they’ve responded to 63 car-versus-pedestrian incidents, which he said is up by as much as 10 over last year. He said most of the collisions happened in busier commercial areas.
 
Between August and September, paramedics also responded to 13 cyclists who were struck by cars, two more than last year.