Winnipeg pedestrian calls for greater safety after being hit by car

A Winnipeg woman who has warned pedestrians and cyclists about dangerous drivers for years was hit by a car herself on Friday morning.

At least three other pedestrians have been sent to hospital after being struck by vehicles over the weekend.

Shannon Furness was crossing Corydon Avenue at Cockburn Street to go for a run just before 8 a.m. on Friday when it happened. 

"He hit me, head on without braking and I probably flew about a metre-and-a-half to two metres into the middle of Corydon," she explained.

Furness said she took every precaution. She pressed the button to signal the crosswalk, waited for traffic to clear, and made eye contact with a driver in the lane closest to her who motioned to her to proceed. It was then that another car approached the corridor going eastbound and struck her while going about 40 kilometres per hour.

Furness was taken to the Health Sciences Centre in an ambulance and left with two staples in her head, and a number of bumps and bruises.

"I'm pretty lucky coming out with what I came out with considering the circumstances, especially the recent stories that you've been hearing about pedestrians getting hit in the city. I'm very lucky," she said.

Const. Rob Carver with the Winnipeg Police Service told CBC News he's aware of the accident but wouldn't provide any additional details.

'No regard' for pedestrians

Furness said she's becoming increasingly frustrated with drivers in Winnipeg who are distracted or drive dangerously.

"I see so many cars just flying through corridors, crosswalks, having no regard for cyclists or pedestrians whatsoever," she said.

"I did everything right, but something still went wrong."

Having a driver's license is a responsibility, said Furness.

"With that responsibility you have duty of care to be a cautious driver and to look out for the other people on the road," she said.

She also thinks the city and province need to look into increasing safety at crosswalks.

3 other pedestrians hurt

This weekend, at least three other pedestrians were hurt after being hit by vehicles.

A construction worker was taken to hospital in critical condition on Saturday after being hit near Sturgeon Road and Murray Park Road.

The next day, two pedestrians were hit while crossing Portage Avenue near Grace Hospital. They were both taken to hospital in critical condition.

In August, a woman died after being struck while using a cross walk at Sargent Avenue and Simcoe Street. 

Furness wants the city to install red light cameras at pedestrian corridors like the one where she was hit. She thinks they could promote safe driving.

"Why not address a problem that's continuously growing and putting pedestrian's lives at risk," Furness asked.

At the very least, she hopes the city, province and Manitoba Public Insurance will come together to develop a strategy to protect people.

Still, she said part of it is the responsibility of the person walking or biking. 

"We as pedestrians and cyclists, we have a role in that we need to be assertive, and we can't assume that drivers are going to stop all the time," Furness said.

Empathy for driver involved

Although she's in a lot of pain as she recovers from a scary experience, Furness said she doesn't hold ill will toward the driver of the car that hit her.

"Anything bad can happen within a span of less than a second," she said.

"I'm feeling some empathy for the driver. I'm just lucky I got out with what I came out with."

Furness says she hopes drivers and pedestrians will learn from her experience and be careful on the road.