Pedestrian killed after being struck by bus near West Edmonton Mall

Police closed off several blocks in west Edmonton Tuesday afternoon after a city bus struck and killed a pedestrian near West Edmonton Mall.

Police said the pedestrian was struck at 87 Avenue and 169 Street at around 2:15 pm. Officers shut down 87 Avenue between 165 Street and 170 Street for several hours as officers investigated. Just before 8 p.m., police reopened the road.

According to police, an 83-year-old woman was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital where she later died.

The identity of the victim has not been released.

According to police, witnesses said the woman was lawfully crossing in a marked crosswalk when she was struck by the bus.

Katherine Ross said she was walking in the area when the pedestrian was hit. She said the indicator was a flashing hand and the pedestrian was two-thirds of the way across the crosswalk when she was struck.

“I just heard, ‘slam’ – it sounded like a car hitting another car. It was really, really loud,” Ross said. “I just looked to the side of me and I just saw her slide to the ground.”

The president of the Amalgamated Transit Union released a statement about the incident Wednesday afternoon. Steve Bradshaw said he and the members of ATU Local 569 extend their deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the victim.

“We sincerely regret this tragic loss of life,” Bradshaw said. “We also want to send our strongest support and heartfelt sympathy to the transit operator who is deeply traumatized by this event.

“This needless loss of life and deep trauma were precipitated by the unacceptably large and needless blind spots obstructing the drivers’ view. Every 10 days, somewhere in North America, a pedestrian is severely injured or killed because of these blind spots. There are inexpensive and easy engineering solutions to this problem. The carnage has to stop.”

Bradshaw said the union is working with the City of Edmonton to ensure new buses have improved design. He hopes the city will also find ways to retrofit the existing fleet to improve safety.

A bus at the scene, which had a cracked windshield, was cordoned off by police tape Tuesday afternoon.

Edmonton Transit said it is cooperating with police and peer support will be provided for the driver of the bus. Police did not say whether the driver would be facing charges.

On Tuesday evening, Mayor Don Iveson released a statement to express his condolences to the family and friends of the woman killed.

“On behalf of my council colleagues and the City of Edmonton, we offer our condolences to the family and friends of the pedestrian involved in a fatality earlier today,” Iveson said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.”