Fatal collision between truck and woman in wheelchair ruled accidental
71-year-old woman driving motorized wheelchair on road was struck and killed
Yukon's coroner has determined that a fatal crash last winter involving a wheelchair and a truck was accidental.
Margaret Johnson, 71, died last Feb. 23 when her wheelchair collided head on with a pickup truck in downtown Whitehorse.
At the time, Johnson was driving her motorized wheelchair northbound on Second Avenue in the southbound vehicle lane.
Coroner Kirsten Macdonald says vehicle lanes are not intended for motorized wheelchairs. She also notes in her report that parts of the sidewalk along that section of road had not been cleared of snow and sand.
Macdonald points out that Johnson's wheelchair had no reflective striping or flags, and Johnson was dressed in dark clothing. The accident happened in the evening, after dark.
Road conditions and the pickup truck's speed were ruled out as factors in the accident.