A 78-year-old man says he’s lucky to be alive after he was struck by a pickup truck while crossing 16 Avenue at the 152 Street intersection on Boxing Day.
John Dempsey, who was driving a motorized scooter at the time of the collision, told Peace Arch News Thursday that he was heading south through the intersection when a pickup truck turned into him
“I have torn skin on my arm, my finger and my knee on my left side. All down the left side of my body was sore,” he said, adding that his scooter landed on top of him. He was transported to hospital by ambulance.
He said he was being careful, and only crossed when the light indicated that he had the right of way.
“The guy didn’t seem to be doing anything, he was just sitting in his car. When I went across I checked that out and all of a sudden he goes around,” Dempsey said.
“I think it’s very dangerous. Cars turn and they don’t care about the pedestrian. I’ve seen it so often.”
Surrey RCMP confirmed to PAN that they responded to the Boxing Day collision at 11:15 a.m.
Media relations officer Sgt. Chad Greig said via email that the driver of the pickup truck, a 77-year-old man, was not injured and remained on scene and co-operated with police.
“Speed nor impairment are suspected causes of the collision. The driver of the truck was issued a violation ticket under the Motor Vehicle Act,” Greig wrote to PAN.
Earlier this month, PAN received a copy of an email from City of Surrey engineering assistant Maria Albitar saying that 152A Street (George Street) and 16 Avenue (North Bluff Road) had been “flagged” for a pedestrian signal crosswalk.
Albitar’s email, which came in response to concerns raised by White Rock resident Jacqueline Lewis, said that construction of the pedestrian signal is anticipated to take place in 2019, weather permitting.
“We believe that pedestrian safety and connectivity in the vicinity will be greatly enhanced with the installation of this signal,” Albitar wrote.
Told of the city’s plan for a pedestrian signal in the area, Dempsey said “that’s a good one.”
“I’ve often thought there should be a light there to get across. That will stop the speeding because the speeding on 16 Avenue is terrible,” said Dempsey, who lives at the corner of Merklin Street and 16 Avenue. “I see the speeding all the time, it’s sickening.”