Residents near a crosswalk where a senior was struck and killed in a hit-and-run Monday night say the City of Surrey needs to do something about the stretch of road where everyone seems to speed.
The speed limit is 50 km/h, but residents say the cars on the stretch of 138th Street are regularly clocked at 60 km/h or sometimes 70 km/h.
On Monday night, a driver believed to be going at least that fast struck and killed a woman who was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk.
The 69-year-old was thrown 10 metres from her motorized scooter, according to witnesses.
The driver did not remain at the scene. Witnesses stopped and provided CPR to Sharon Mitchell, 69, but she was badly injured.
Michael Sinclair, a Good Samaritan, was driving home from work when the incident happened, and was first on scene and provided assistance.
By the time Sinclair arrived at Mitchell’s side, she had stopped breathing.
Although paramedics managed to revive her on scene, she died of her injuries later that night in hospital.
Sinclair shook his head remembering what happened on Monday night, and told Global News, “It is such a senseless death — totally preventable. I don’t know what would be in the driver’s mind to just leave like that.”
The seniors home where the victim lived has been asking the city for changes to this crosswalk for more than two years. They say the speed on the road is too high, the visibility is obstructed, especially at night, and the crosswalk is poorly lit.
Tina Love manages the facility and said her residents are terrified to cross the street. “We were worried someone was going to get hurt. We just didn’t think it was going to be someone we loved,” Love said.
The City of Surrey is looking at the crosswalk and reviewing previous complaints about safety, but according to Love, the crosswalk is so close to train tracks, the city has told her there are limitations as to what can be done.
The RCMP are investigating the hit-and-run but are not releasing a vehicle description. They are asking witnesses to come forward and for the driver to turn themselves in.