The father of noted Quebec musician and singer Gregory Charles, was struck by a snow removal vehicle on Tuesday afternoon in Montreal.
Charles said his 77-year-old father, Lennox, was coming home from prayers at St. Joseph’s Oratory. He was crossing the street when he was hit at the intersection of Belvedere Rd. and Cote des Neiges Rd. by the front-end loader.
He was rushed to hospital and on Wednesday morning he was in critical condition.
Lennox Charles was crossing the street when he was hit at the intersection of Belvedere Rd. and Cote des Neiges Rd. by the plow.
He suffered injuries to both his upper and lower body and was brought to the Montreal General Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery Wednesday morning.
In a post on Facebook, Gregory Charles said his father had been going to church regularly in the past year after the loss of his wife.
The entertainer asked people to say a prayer on his father’s behalf.
According to witnesses, Lennox Charles was struck at about 5:30 p.m., after dark.
Police have spoken to the driver of the plow, a 69-year-old man, who city worker Marco Di Lillo described as an experienced and conscientious driver.
“He told me the other day to be careful on the ice and he told me like a father to a son, you know, so those words are ringing in my head right now. I just feel terrible that it was him. I was in shock that it was him. Of all the guys, this is the last guy I expecting that to happen to,” said Di Lillo.
The city worker was finishing up his workday when the collision occurred.
“At the end of the day if it can happen to the best, it can happen to anybody,” said Di Lillo.
Police are investigating the incident.
“At this point, it's too early to say if there's going to be criminal charge or some infraction given to the drive, but the investigation is going on,” said Montreal police spokesperson Andree-Anne Picard.
This is not the first time a snow removal truck has injured or killed a pedestrian in the city.
“It's sad and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that the trucks that are on our roads are safer,” said Mayor Valerie Plante. “Though not all (trucks) are for the city of Montreal, so we need to find ways with Quebec for a bigger law that supports that effort.