A Kelowna man is in serious condition after being struck by a pick-up truck near a busy Kelowna intersection on a Friday morning.
The victim was believed to be sleeping out front of a car wash bay door on the corner of Harvey Avenue and Pandosy Street, when the driver of the truck exited the car wash, running over the pedestrian.
“The driver stopped immediately and called RCMP at around 7:30 this morning,” said Kelowna RCMP Const. Mike Della-Paolera.
“It was an unfortunate accident. The gentleman that he hit is a 30-year-old male from Kelowna, currently in the hospital in serious but non-life-threatening condition.”
Crashes like these are an increasingly common occurrence in Kelowna.
Last Thursday, Enterprise Way was closed when, according to police, a 56-year-old female pedestrian was struck by an SUV that had allegedly been seen driving erratically moments prior.
The woman’s condition is currently unknown.
Days before that, on Monday, April 24, an 82-year-old woman was killed when she was hit by a pick-up truck in a West Kelowna parking lot.
“It’s definitely concerning,” said Della-Paolera. “We’re asking people to be extra cautious on the roads, both as a pedestrian and as a driver.
“It’s everybody’s responsibility — I mean you want to go out and do what you have to do during the day, but we want you to get home safe.”
In this latest incident, Della-Paolera says a collision reconstruction team is working on the file to determine what happened, and if charges are necessary.
“They are putting together what happened using surveillance and reenacting it, and from there we’ll make a decision,” said Della-Paolera.
“But, right now, it honestly feels purely like an accident — an unfortunate accident.”
Police are also asking the public who may have witnessed the event, or have dash camera video footage, to please contact the Kelowna RCMP non-emergency line at 250-762-3300 and reference the file number 2023-24158.