Male pedestrian seriously injured after being hit by streetcar in west end

Man in his 50s taken to a trauma centre with a head injury, in 3rd such incident this month

Image | Pedestrian struck in Roncesvalles

Caption: Three serious collisions between streetcars and pedestrians have prompted the TTC to convene an internal working group to explore streetcar safety. (Tony Smyth/CBC)

A pedestrian is seriously injured after being hit by a TTC streetcar in Toronto's west end early Wednesday. This is the third such incident this month.
The man believed to be in his 50s ran in front of a streetcar on Roncesvalles Avenue, in the Galley Avenue and Queen Street West area, and was struck around 1:30 a.m., Toronto police spokesperson Gary Long said.
He was "extremely intoxicated" at the time, added Long.
Initially, Toronto paramedics said the victim was taken to a trauma centre in serious and possibly life-threatening condition. He suffered a head injury and is now listed in non-life-threatening condition, Long said.
Officers from the Toronto police traffic services division have concluded their investigation.

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This is the third pedestrian to be struck by a streetcar this month. Two of the collisions were fatal.
Last Friday, a man died in hospital four days after he was trapped underneath a streetcar and extricated. That collision occurred on The Queensway near Ellis Avenue in the city's west end.
Another male pedestrian died on Monday after he was pinned under a streetcar in Riverside.
Hayley Waldman, a spokesperson for the Toronto Transit Commission, called the close timing of the incidents "unfortunate," but said the circumstances surrounding each incident vary.
"We recommend that everyone who is crossing the road, crossing the right of way, intending to use the streetcar or just walking down the street, make sure that they do so safely," she said on Wednesday.
"Use crosswalks, obviously look both ways before you cross the street, don't try to cut a streetcar off."