One man dead following early morning hit-and-run: police

Winnipeg police are looking for the driver of a vehicle after a fatal hit-and-run Monday morning.

Police said officers went to the intersection of Notre Dame Avenue and Keewatin Street around 2:45 a.m. for reports of a crash involving a pedestrian.

When officers arrived, paramedics were providing emergency medical care to the victim and police said the suspect left the scene.

The victim, a 56-year-old man from Winnipeg, was transported to hospital in critical condition but he later died from his injuries.

Police said the incident is being investigated as a hit-and-run and the suspect vehicle is described as a white or light-coloured SUV.

The 56-year-old man is the latest victim in five pedestrian-vehicle collisions over the course of two weeks.

Michelle Giesbrecht’s mother was a hit-and-run victim Friday night in St. Boniface.

She told CTV News her mother was walking home from work.

“It was her right of way to cross, she said she began walking and then out of nowhere she was hit,” Giesbrecht told CTV News while answering questions over text message.

Giesbrecht said her mother is undergoing surgeries to repair some of her broken bones.

“It’s definitely been a very stressful time for all of us.”

Bike Winnipeg Executive Director Mark Cohoe said he often sees people attempting to cross the road when there are no safe crosswalks nearby.

"The number of collisions that we are seeing involving pedestrians is really frightening. I think it’s a sign that we’re not really creating the safe spaces that we need," he said.

The City of Winnipeg told CTV News it's working to improve pedestrian safety through its road safety strategic action plan. The city said this includes a pilot project monitoring lower residential speeds, giving pedestrian crossing lights a head start before vehicles, and installing more traffic calming measures.

The city asks drivers to avoid distractions and drive as if there may be pedestrians on the road at any time.

According to data from police, there were two incidents of people failing to stop at an accident causing death in 2021 and one in 2020. There was one failure to stop at an accident causing bodily harm in 2021 and two in 2020 and there were two failures to stop at an accident in 2021 and six in 2020.

Cohoe wants to see changes to Winnipeg's walkability.

“You know where we’re seeing some of those collisions happen – it's higher speeds," he said. "Which means less chance of survivability and more chance of harm to the pedestrian.”

Winnipeg police are asking anyone with information about the hit-and-run, including dash camera footage, to call investigators at 204-986-7085.