MONTREAL - A 79-year-old woman is in critical condition after being struck by a car while waiting in a bus shelter.
A car heading east on Jean-Talon St. just before noon slammed into another vehicle headed south on Lacordaire St., then hit the bus shelter at the northeast corner of the street. The woman in the bus shelter was taken to hospital with what police are describing as life-threatening injuries.
"She was extremely hurt, she flew through the air and then I saw her on the ground," said Ghysalin Nadeau, who witnessed the horrific accident. "I hope she's alright. Seeing ti was honestly nauseating."
Hydro-Quebec had shut down the traffic lights at the busy intersection at 7:45 a.m. because of work being done in the area, but temporary stop signs were in place on the posts.
The driver of the eastbound car, a 32-year-old woman, suffered back and stomach pains following the crash. Police couldn't confirm if the passenger in the car was also injured.
The driver of the other car, Jean-Marc Crevier, 62, was not hurt.
He claims the woman flew through the intersection without stopping.
"She went through the intersection as if she had a green light," he told CTV Montreal's Aphrodite Salas. "I honked, she hit me then she went straight into the bus shelter."
There were no police officers directing traffic at the scene, but Montreal police say that whenever a motorist approaches an intersection with a light that is not functioning, the Quebec Highway Code says they must come to a full stop.
However, CTV cameras needed only a few minutes to catch vehicles blowing right through the intersection without stopping.
The traffic lights were functioning again as of mid afternoon Monday.
