Yet another pedestrian fatality has occurred in Vancouver as a man has succumbed to his injuries, losing his life after being struck by a Tesla driver.
According to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD), the pedestrian fatality occurred last night, and police are investigating and asking members of the public for more information.
VPD says that the victim, a 38-year-old man, was struck by a white Tesla at the intersection of Terminal Avenue and Western Street, just before 8:30 p.m.
First responders attended the scene, and despite the life-saving efforts they attempted, the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident.
Police say the Tesla driver was cooperative and remained at the scene. Police don’t currently believe that impairment or speed were factors in this incident.
VPD investigators are asking anyone with more information about the incident to call the VPD Collision Investigation Unit at 604-717-3012.
This incident comes just one week after we published a story about the VPD urging caution due to a spike in pedestrian fatalities in Vancouver. The VPD Traffic Unit posted a notice stating that the city has seen a dozen fatal MVIs to date, with nine of the deaths being pedestrians.
Several Vancouver residents took their frustrations with the recent rise in crashes to the internet, sharing that more needs to be done by the city.
“I live right around here and stand 15 feet back of the intersection whenever I’m waiting to cross,” wrote East Van resident and Reddit user eoairt123 in a discussion thread about the incident. “Seen and heard plenty of accidents here. Any accident can easily spill over onto the sidewalk, and they have before.”
We also spoke to a mother from Kitsilano earlier this week who was pleading with the community to be careful after a few close calls while she was out and about with her son.
We talked to her after a Facebook post in which she rhetorically asked, “I understand that we are all keen to get to work/school/wherever else you’re going at 8:30 a.m. in the morning, but is it really worth killing someone over?”
We also spoke with Jade, a volunteer with Vision Zero Vancouver, who noted that if you’re concerned about road safety, there are several ways you can take action.
“It’s just like any other political movement. It takes sustained pressure, and it takes a lot of voices. Using 311, reporting to the city, sending emails to your city councillor, asking for a meeting with your city councillor, sending an email to your MP, all of those little acts that don’t take a ton of effort accumulate into the pressure we need for change.”