Friend of woman killed by dump truck urges city to improve pedestrian safety

Terri Griffin Burman's friend was struck and killed by a dump truck while crossing a busy intersection in downtown Montreal on Dec. 12.

Now she's urging the city to make its pedestrian walkways safer, saying the incident could have been avoided.

"I was absolutely shocked and saddened," Griffin Burman told CBC Montreal's Daybreak. "It was just horrible, horrible news to receive."

A dump truck was turning left on Atwater Avenue off Tupper Street when it hit the woman. It was carrying materials from the old Montreal Children's Hospital construction site.

The victim's family has asked that her name not be published.

Longer lights necessary, friend says

When Griffin Burman found out her friend had died, she decided to go to the intersection where it happened to see for herself.

The first thing she noticed was the length of the pedestrian light crossing Atwater. She said she was shocked at how little time pedestrians are given to cross such a busy artery.

"It really doesn't allow a person to make a complete crossing before the numbers start going on," Griffin Burman said. "It felt unsafe." 

Griffin Burman reached out to city councillors from Ville-Marie about the issue.

But the intersection is right on the border of Ville-Marie and Westmount, so the borough told Griffin Burman that since it happened on the west side of Atwater, that was technically in Westmount, not Montreal.

In a statement, the City of Montreal said that efforts are underway to make pedestrian walkways near construction sites safer.

The City of Westmount said it could not comment due to an ongoing Montreal police investigation. 

"The SPVM will be providing its conclusions and recommendations to both the cities of Westmount and Montreal, given that all the traffic lights on Atwater are under the jurisdiction of the City of Montreal," a statement from Westmount said. 

Devimco, the developer of the Children's Hospital site, says it's collaborating with police on the investigation of the collision.

It said there are workers assigned to monitor trucks entering and exiting the site but that this accident happened outside the boundaries of the construction site.

'You take your life in your hands'

Griffin Burman said that monitoring the busy intersection is important.

She said she wants to see a concrete response and some changes put in place.

"I have always complained to others about how you take your life in your hands in this city," Griffin Burman said.