Dashcam video of car hitting pedestrian not enough to launch investigation, police say

A man whose dashboard camera captured a collision between a car and a pedestrian said he's surprised to hear Ottawa police can't investigate without a complaint from one of the two parties directly involved.

"It seems crazy to me that you can hit someone with a car and nothing happens at the end," David Hicks said.

Hicks was behind the wheel of his own vehicle, waiting at a stop sign to turn right onto Tenth Line Road near the Home Depot in Orléans, when the incident occurred around 6 p.m. Sunday.

It seems crazy to me that you can hit someone with a car and nothing happens at the end.- David Hicks, witnessed a collision between a driver and a pedestrian

Hicks's dashboard camera captured the black Honda in front of him as it began turning and hit a crossing pedestrian.

The video shows the woman fall to the pavement, then roll to her feet. The man driving the Honda immediately got out to speak with her.

"She said no police," Hicks said, who also left his car to check on the woman. "She didn't speak very good English. I asked her a couple more times. She seemed OK — a bit shaken, obviously."

Hicks said he left the scene "feeling a bit weird about the whole situation."

Hicks called police after posting the video to Twitter and hearing back from a few people who urged him to report the incident.

Ottawa police spokesman Const. Chuck Benoit confirmed police received a call and went to the scene, but said no one involved in the incident was there when they arrived.

Can't launch formal investigation

Police can't launch a formal investigation without a complaint from one of the parties directly involved, Benoit said.

Hicks submitted the video to police, but doesn't qualify as an involved party.

"For collisions that don't need police attention, either because there were no injuries involved or there was very little damage, the Highway Traffic Act allows those involved to exchange information without calling police," Benoit said.

Unless either the woman or the driver goes to police with more information or a complaint, police won't launch an investigation, Benoit said.

Hicks said he's troubled that a driver can hit a pedestrian without consequences.

"Fortunately in this case the woman didn't seem to be severely injured, but you're constantly hearing about collisions between drivers and pedestrians and there just doesn't seem to be any accountability for it," Hicks said.

"If not charges, [the driver] definitely should get a talking to, you know? Maybe a note made somewhere on his file."