There has been an outpouring of support for the husband of a pregnant woman abruptly killed in front of a hospital in Quebec City.

Marie-Pier Gagné was 40 weeks pregnant when she was run down on Wednesday.

She had just left an appointment at the CHUL in Quebec City and was in the median on Laurier Blvd. when she was struck by a car that hit her, then continued for several hundred more metres to strike two cars waiting at a red light.

Gagné died, but her baby was delivered and has been taken to a hospital in Montreal for further treatment.

The driver of a car, a 22-year-old man, was taken to hospital after the collision.

Police are trying to determine exactly what led to the deadly crash.

"One of the theories we are examining is a sudden health issue," said Marie-Eve Painchaud of the Quebec City Police Dept.

"Our investigators are still working but it is one of the possible causes."

In the meantime Gagné's husband has been subject to thousands of dollars in donations.

One of Gagné's cousins, Emilie Marceau, set up a crowdfunding page to help the widower Sylvain Bittner-Lamy.

Her original goal was to raise $10,000, but by noon Thursday more than $18,000 had already been donated.  

Two hours later the total pledged had soared to $24,000. 

Marceau said she created the page "to help the new father, who sadly will have to come home alone with the new baby following the tragic accident that happened on August 10."