Officials say an area of Union Station in Toronto, one of the busiest transportation hubs in Canada, has been deemed safe after a woman was struck by falling concrete during Thursday’s evening rush hour.
“I can tell you our crews, our engineers, as well as the city’s crews and engineers, were there for hours tirelessly looking throughout the entire area and they decided it is safe,” Metrolinx spokesperson Nitish Bissonauth told Global News on Friday.
Bissonauth said the engineers also made some repairs during the inspection.
Toronto police and paramedics said they were called to the Bay West Teamway before 5:30 p.m. with reports a woman was hit in the head by an object.
Toronto Paramedics said the pedestrian suffered serious injuries. Officials said her condition has since improved and she is expected to recover.
There is no word on why the concrete fell.
“As a precautionary measure … we are going to have another inspection, another thorough inspection, in the weeks to come,” Bissonauth said.
“We are looking into this, but we can assure you that safety is our number one priority and it is safe.”
- Ontario hospital workers awarded 6% pay increase, new agreement on agency nurses
- S&P/TSX composite closes up nearly 100 points, U.S. stock markets mixed
- Pedestrian in life-threatening condition after being hit by vehicle in Mississauga
- Judge at trial of man accused of killing cop was concerned over Crown changing theory
But personal injury lawyer Mike Smitiuch told Global News on Friday that the incident shouldn’t have happened in the first place. He said the woman could launch a lawsuit.
“When you go into a building, you should be able to assume that it’s safe and, in fact, the owner of a building has a duty to keep it safe,” he said.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Metrolinx, or whoever was actually responsible, is liable.”
Bissonauth said it’s still too early to discuss potential legal action.
“We have to figure out what comes from the reports, the investigation, and then we’ll take it from there,” he said.
Union Station accommodates roughly 300,000 travellers every day. The station opened in 1927, was designated a national historic site in 1975 and has been undergoing a massive renovation project for close to a decade.
–With files from Mark Carcasole and The Canadian Press
Comments