Ottawa police say a 78-year-old woman was critically injured on Thursday after being hit by a vehicle in Sandy Hill. Police and paramedics were called to Friel Street between Rideau Street and Besserer Street at around 8:30 a.m. for a collision involving a driver and a pedestrian. Ottawa paramedic spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps said the woman was transported to the hospital in critical condition. Ottawa police closed Friel Street between Rideau and Besserer for the investigation. The road reopened just after 12:30 p.m., according to police. Police told CTV News Ottawa the vehicle and driver remained at the scene. The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone who witnessed the collision and has not yet spoken with investigators, or anyone who may have dashcam or video footage of the incident, is asked to come forward and contact the OPS Fatal Collision Investigation Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 2345, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppers.ca. The collision comes one day after a 60-year-old man was struck by a vehicle and killed in Barrhaven, marking the 29th road death in the city this year. Police and Safer Roads Ottawa are asking everyone who “drives, walks, cycles or rides to make road safety a priority.” “Each of these deaths represents a person whose life was cut short, families facing unimaginable loss and communities forever changed,” police said in a media release. “The increase in fatal collisions is a stark reminder that road safety is a shared responsibility and that a single moment of distraction, impatience or poor decision-making can have devastating consequences.”
