'An increase that we've noticed': Collisions between vehicles and pedestrians on the rise in Winnipeg

Three pedestrians have been hit by vehicles in Winnipeg in as many weeks, and according to the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS), these types of incidents are on the rise.

On Saturday afternoon, a 19-year-old woman was struck while crossing Pembina Highway near McGillivray Boulevard. She was taken to hospital in unstable condition, while the driver of the vehicle involved remained on scene.

Police said the woman "ran in the path of the northbound vehicle and was struck as there was no time for the driver to avoid a collision," according to a news release. They added no charges are anticipated.

The incident came less than a week after a woman died from injuries sustained in a collision at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.

The recent rash of collisions involving pedestrians is concerning for Judi Dueck, who was hit by a vehicle while walking across Henderson Highway in December.

“In that moment, it was just like the movies. Everything went black… and when I came to, I was lying in a puddle on the highway,” Dueck told CTV News.

The incident happened at a crosswalk after Dueck had activated the lights.

“The first lane was empty when I looked, and when I crossed, the first lane was full and a car had blown through and hit me,” she explained.

Dueck was rushed to hospital and sustained several injuries from the crash including pelvis, rib, fibula and tibia fractures.

Since January, the WPS has responded to 11 pedestrian-involved motor vehicle collisions – five of which were fatal.

“There's definitely been more pedestrian-involved collisions with motor vehicles,” Const. Claude Chancy told CTV News on Saturday. “There's definitely been an increase that we've noticed.”

According to Manitoba Public Insurance, there have been 126 reports of collisions involving pedestrians in 2024. Year-end totals dating back to 2020 average around 250.

Since her incident in December, Dueck said she’s noticed how often collisions involving pedestrians happen.

“Our crosswalks aren’t safe,” Dueck said. “When people feel safer to jaywalk than they do on the crosswalk, you know that there’s something wrong.”

The City of Winnipeg tells CTV News making crosswalks safer and more visible is part of its ‘Road Safety Strategic Action Plan’ that was approved in 2022. The plan includes pedestrian crossing studies and installing safety measures at high-volume locations with a goal of reducing serious injury collisions by 2026.