Cyclist critically injured after being struck by garbage truck in separate incident

Winnipeg pedestrian killed in hit, run

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/winnipeg-pedestrian-killed-in-hit-ru...

A PEDESTRIAN has died and a cyclist is in critical condition after two collisions in less than six hours on Winnipeg streets.

City police had not yet identified the drivers in either of the apparent hit-and-runs, nor the woman who died, as of late Wednesday afternoon.

Police said first responders went to the intersection of Henry and Higgins avenues at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a pedestrian collision. They found a seriously injured woman lying in the road; she later died in hospital.

Traffic investigators have not yet identified the victim, police said Wednesday. She is described as Indigenous, 45 to 55 years old, with a small, thin build and shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair.

She was wearing brightly coloured galaxy-print sweatpants and a grey sweatshirt, with white, pink and yellow New Balance runners. She had “Klyde love you” tattooed on her right wrist and “Rohdy” in half of a red heart, as well as a star symbol tattooed on her left forearm.

Police ask anyone with information to call the traffic division at 204-986-7085 or the police non-emergency line at 204-986-6222 after hours.

A heavy police presence remained in the mostly industrial area near the Canadian Pacific rail yard early Wednesday, as a forensics officer photographed evidence markers laid out in the street.

Hours later, in the West End, a cyclist was critically injured after he was struck by a garbage truck.

Police said officers responded to a collision at the intersection of Erin Street and Sargent Avenue at about 5 a.m. The man, in his 30s, was taken to hospital.

Initial investigation indicates the cyclist was struck by the truck, which then drove off, noting it’s too early to say whether the driver was aware of the collision, police said.

It’s unclear what company the truck belonged to; traffic investigators are still seeking to identify it and the driver.

When asked whether the red light camera in the area was operating at the time of the collision, a City of Winnipeg spokesman would not comment, instead directing the Free Press to police.

As of mid-Wednesday, the one-way Erin Street remained blocked off to south-bound traffic, as debris sat strewn across the street.

Two crumpled bicycles, both belonging to the injured cyclist, lay in the middle of the road, along with clothing.

A forensics officer carrying a camera walked through the scene behind yellow tape, while other police stood watch in the area, before they packed the evidence into the back of a van.

“It’s a bad corner, someone’s always running a light,” said Gerald Dudley, 65. “If you go on the corner over there, you’ll see all the auto parts, there’s pieces all over the place all the time.”

Dudley, who has lived on nearby Clifton Street for 41 years, said he knows someone who was recently hit at the intersection while riding their bicycle by a driver who ran a red light.

Police also asked anyone with information on the Erin Street collision to call the traffic division.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @erik_pindera