Two pedestrians are facing serious but non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a driver near John Lawson Park in West Vancouver Wednesday afternoon.
A West Vancouver police spokesperson said the department responded to a collision at the intersection of Argyle Avenue and 16th Street on Dec. 18 at 3:42 p.m. Pedestrians were transported to Lions Gate Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, said Sgt. Chris Bigland. West Vancouver Fire & Rescue Service and BC Emergency Health Service were also on the scene.
Bigland said the driver failed to turn left where Argyle Avenue meets 16th Street and struck two pedestrians and a boulder located just at the edge of the Spirit Trail.
Speed and impairment of drugs or alcohol are not considered to be factors, Bigland said, adding that Investigators are considering charges under the Motor Vehicle Act. The driver remained on scene and co-operated with police, he said.
West Vancouver resident Andrew McManus was having his lunch in John Lawson Park when the accident occurred and tried to help the pedestrians while waiting for first responders to arrive.
He said the two pedestrians appear to be a man and woman, and believes they are 50 to 60 years old. McManus said one of the man’s feet looked severely injured. There didn’t seem to be visible injuries to the woman, he said.
He was shocked to see the accident unfold, but glad he was there at the right time.
“I’ve got my Level 2 training occupational first aid, but even I was pretty taken aback,” McManus said. “I’ve never seen an injury like that in my life.”
“It was quite beyond my capabilities, and so I was just trying to keep them calm as best as possible, trying to breathe them through it,” he added. “I left work early yesterday, because it was just a really traumatizing event to have witnessed.”
Two ambulances with primary care paramedics, an advanced care paramedic response unit and a supervisor responded to the scene, paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites said in a statement. The victims were transported to the hospital in stable condition, he said.
This area of Argyle Avenue and 16th Street can come with challenges.
Argyle Avenue is for westbound vehicle traffic only, and at 16th Street, it becomes a natural curve north.
“If you’re travelling westbound on Argyle, you’re compelled in a vehicle to turn north to go on 16th Street. It’s a very small space,” Bigland said, adding that there’s signage for vehicles, but it’s delineated with boulders and fencing.
Bigland said in the Ambleside district in general, police caution drivers to be cognizant of pedestrians in the area due to the large amount of foot traffic and cyclists.
“As we approach the holiday season and with the temperatures and weather that we’ve been having, there are a lot of pedestrians out,” Bigland said. “Road conditions and visibility can change without notice.”
“So we just encourage pedestrians to make themselves as visible as possible, and for drivers to take extra time and effort to be aware of who is around their vehicles to avoid a very unfortunate incident like this,” he added.
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]
