Quebec coroner is calling for major changes in how snow is cleared on Montreal streets.
Luc Malouin, who investigated the deaths of four pedestrians during snow-clearing operations in Montreal, says Quebec should experiment with mirrors that reduce blind spots on snow-clearing equipment, increase spot checks to ensure snow-clearers aren’t working longer hours than allowed and sensitize pedestrians about the dangers of blind spots on heavy trucks.
Malouin, whose report was made public on Monday, investigated the deaths of: Rajaa Benkiran on Dec. 15, 2008; Solange St-Onge and Jean-Paul Pinet on Feb. 3, 2009; and Lucie Rivard-Lanouette, also on Feb. 3, 2009.
Malouin found three main causes for the deaths.
In all the cases, the victims were in the blind spot of snow-clearing vehicles, so the drivers could not see them before hitting them.
In two of the cases, the drivers had “significantly exceeded the number of driving hours permitted by law,” Malouin noted.
And in one of the cases, the pedestrian did not respect the Highway Safety Code, Malouin said, noting a clearly marked crosswalk was within 50 meters of the accident site.
More to come.
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