The mayor of Montreal’s Saint-Leonard borough is promising to make parking lots safer, six months after an 89-year-old man was struck by a car and killed. Giuseppe Di Gioacchino was returning from a doctor’s appointment near Jarry and Langellier streets on May 12 when he was hit. He died of his injuries 12 days later. “It’s really, really unfair that a little old man like him that wouldn’t hurt a fly, ended up finishing in such a violent, accidental way,” said his son, Sandro Di Gioacchino. His death is part of a bigger pattern. Data from Piétons Québec show more than 10 per cent of collisions involving pedestrians happen in a parking lot. Nearly one-third of those injured are seniors. On Sunday, family and members of the Saint-Leonard community gathered at the site to pay tribute to Di Gioacchino. Souliers et vélos fantômes Québec (SVFQ) were also on site to install “ghost shoes” in his memory. The SVFQ is a volunteer organization that raises awareness about road safety. “If you have more space between the vehicles, if you have barriers, if you have a bit of separation between the cars… then you’re going to make it safer for pedestrians in all areas,” said Severine Le Page, with the SVFQ. During the gathering, borough mayor Dominic Perri pledged to improve parking lot safety. He admitted to having no concrete plans, but committed to studying and redesigning the area. “That’s something we have to review,” said Perri. For the family, there are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding Di Gioacchino’s death. They say they want to have an open conversation with the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) about safety. The SAAQ tells CTV News it is happy to have that conversation and welcomes any initiatives that could make roads and parking lots safer. “We have to be aware that when we’re driving a vehicle that we may have a potential weapon,” said son Dino Di Gioacchino. This is the 36th memorial installed by the SVFQ.
