Toronto police say a person is dead after being struck by a garbage truck in downtown Toronto early Tuesday.
Police said they responded to a call just before 6 a.m. in the area of Adelaide and York streets.
Authorities said the person was located in an alley at the rear of a building and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the victim was sleeping when the person was hit by the truck which was backing up.
Insp. Jim Gotell said the driver is being treated for shock.
“I think it would be difficult for him to have seen what was behind him,” Gotell said.
“The management from his company is making sure that he is provided with the appropriate psychological counselling that he will no doubt require. It was very traumatic for him.”
A building operator said the person, believed to be a woman between 45 to 50 years of age, had been in the area the past two weeks.
“This person here, they couldn’t speak English or understand English,” Daniel Gareau said.
“We try to wake them up. Usually they do get up. Some understand English and they’ll pack up their stuff and move somewhere else. This person, we had some trouble trying to explain to them to move out.”
Gareau said the person was sleeping on a grate for warmth.
“It’s a grid for the steam and there’s warm air that comes out of there,” he said.
Police have not released the age and gender of the deceased.
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