CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story reported the pedestrian was 72 years old. Police now say the woman is 71.
Coquitlam RCMP is asking anyone who witnessed a pickup truck strike a woman on Nelson Street and Ridgeway Avenue Tuesday, Feb. 18, to come forward and speak with police.
The public call comes a day after a 71-year-old woman was struck by a GMC pickup truck as the driver tried to make a left turn at the intersection. The woman, a Coquitlam resident, was hit at about 3:45 p.m. and later left on a stretcher with serious injuries. Police said it is hoped that she will recover.
The driver of the truck, an 84-year-old Coquitlam man, is not known to police and is cooperating with the investigation, according to a Coquitlam RCMP press release.
“We often don’t think twice about left turns because they are so routine, but left turns are one of the most high-risk manoeuvres on the road,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin in the press release. “If safety is the goal, all road users need to be extra-aware and take extra care when someone is turning left.”
Because of the woman’s serious injuries, Coquitlam RCMP’s Criminal Collision Investigation Team is leading the investigation, but at this point, police said there’s no evidence the man was intoxicated or that speed was a factor in the accident.
Any witnesses are asked to call the Coquitlam RCMP non-emergency number at 604-945-1550 and ask for the CCIT (file 2020-4620).
“Dash-cam video is also especially useful,” noted the press release.
