Video appears to show the moments before a woman was fatally struck by a van and an SUV in Scarborough on Thursday night.
In home security and dash cam videos obtained by CTV News Toronto, a woman is seen walking into a live traffic lane on Birchmount Road, north of St. Clair Avenue East. Vehicles are veering around the woman who is wearing dark-coloured clothes.
Lawrence Clementes, who witnessed the collision, told CTV News Toronto that many vehicles honked at the woman to try and get her off the road. He and his partner called 911 to notify police about the situation.
“And then suddenly, a vehicle going northbound from St. Clair unfortunately hit the person,” Clementes said.
According to police, the woman was walking on the northbound lanes when a white cargo van hit her.
“It was a fatal hit because the lady flew over a couple of metres, I would say. And then another vehicle going southbound ran over the lady,” Clementes said.
According to police, a black SUV struck the woman a second time.
Both vehicles fled the scene, police said. Investigators have released a photo of the white van, which they said may have suffered damage to its windshield.
Clementes said he and his partner rushed towards the woman, stopping traffic so they could safely check on her.
“Among the vehicles that we stopped, there was an off-duty firefighter. So, the two of us kind of assessed the situation,” he recounted, adding that they were still on the phone with 911 at that time.
“We did what we could, but unfortunately, the lady passed.”
Police have not identified the victim. It is currently unclear why the woman was walking in the middle of the road. When asked Thursday night if speed was a factor, Acting Insp. Phillip Sinclair said the circumstances were undetermined at this time.
Clementes called it a “very sad” and “bad experience.”
“We were really hoping for the person to survive,” he said.
Hazel Dodge, who owns a business in the area, said the collision left her traumatized.
“It’s hard to believe that people could hit somebody and just take off. Hopefully, they find the people that did it,” Dodge told CTV News Toronto.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-1900 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477) or www.222tips.com.
