UPDATE: Vancouver police originally reported the victim was a woman in her 60s. They issued a correction Friday saying the woman was in her 90s. The story has been updated to reflect the new information.
A woman in her 90s is dead after getting hit by a cement truck while crossing a downtown Vancouver street Thursday, police say.
The collision at Powell Street and Jackson Avenue around 2:30 p.m. happened just blocks away from a large protest outside the Port of Vancouver.
The intersection is also at the corner of Oppenheimer Park in the Downtown Eastside.
Police say paramedics attended the scene but were unable to revive the woman, pronouncing her dead.
The driver of the cement truck remained at the scene and is cooperating with police. Speed and alcohol are not suspected.
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Lafarge Canada confirmed an incident involving a pedestrian and a ready mix concrete truck in Vancouver.
“This is a very difficult and tragic incident, and we are deeply saddened at the loss,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s friends and family, and we are providing the support of our employee assistance program to help co-workers cope with the loss.”
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Police said there’s no evidence indicating the crash was connected to the protest at nearby Powell Street and Heatley Avenue, blocking access to the Port of Vancouver. Demonstrators also blocked the port’s Clark Drive entrance.
The protest was held in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en members blocking access to a key worksite for the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline in northern B.C.
The action came hours after RCMP moved into the blockade area to enforce a B.C. Supreme Court injunction, ordering members of the Wet’suwet’en and their supporters to leave. Six people were arrested.
Anyone who witnessed the collision involving the pedestrian, or anyone with dashcam video, is asked to contact Vancouver police or Crime Stoppers.
The woman’s death marks Vancouver’s second pedestrian fatality of 2020.
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