Pedestrian killed after being struck by multiple vehicles while lying in roadway, Thunder Bay police say

A 58-year-old man is dead after he was struck by multiple vehicles while lying on a busy stretch of Fort William Road in Thunder Bay on Monday night.

Police were called to the scene, just north of Mooney Avenue just after 8 p.m. with reports of a motor vehicle collision.

Responding officers found the man lying in the southbound outside lane of the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

The man was first hit by a southbound Dodge Caravan driven by a 35-year-old Thunder Bay man, according to police. The driver tried to avoid hitting the man but was unable to avoid the pedestrian.

A second vehicle, a Mazda pickup truck driven by a 60-year-old Thunder Bay man, was following behind the Caravan, according to police. That vehicle also drove over the pedestrian, despite attempts by the driver to avoid him.

‘It’s just tragic’

The male was then reportedly struck by a third vehicle, another Dodge Caravan, which was driven by a 32-year-old Thunder Bay woman. The third vehicle also attempted to avoid the pedestrian and the other vehicles, police said, but was also unsuccessful, driving over him and colliding with the pickup truck.

“It’s just tragic all the way around,” said Thunder Bay police traffic Sgt. Gordon Snyder. “It wasn’t at an intersection, it wasn’t at an area where a pedestrian should have even been on the roadway. It was in a heavily-travelled part of Fort William Road.

“This would obviously be a really traumatic event for anyone involved, or anyone that would’ve driven by and seen the scene after the fact, as well,” he said. “It was a terrible scene.”

Snyder said the stretch of road was closed for several hours due to the police investigation.

Reflective clothing recommended

“From information that we have received from people that were on-scene prior to the collision occurring, was that the male had possibly fallen, and then was lying on the road as [he was] tired,” Snyder said.

The pedestrian, Snyder said, was wearing dark-coloured clothing at the time of the incident.

“For pedestrians … cross always at crosswalks, is the message we want to get out there, always with traffic lights, with the proper walk signals,” he said. “Wearing dark clothing on a dark night when it’s raining, crossing in an area where there’s no crosswalks and lighting … is incredibly dangerous.”

“Obviously, it’s awful for the deceased pedestrian and the family that now has to deal with the loss of a loved one, and it’s also terrible for the parties in the motor vehicles.”