Woman, 84, dies in hospital after being hit by TMR tow truck, husband in critical condition

One of the seniors who was hit by a tow truck while she was crossing the street with her husband in the Town of Mont-Royal (TMR) has died.

"The 84-year-old woman passed away in the hospital," said Mariane Allaire Morin. "Her husband is still in critical condition."

The TMR residents were crossing the street at the intersection of Clyde Road and Dresden Avenue around 11:20 a.m. on Monday when the driver of a municipal truck turned left onto Dresden and hit them.

The driver of the tow truck was treated for shock at the scene.

A TMR resident who arrived at the corner shortly after the incident occurred said on Tuesday that he watched the chaotic scene unfold as emergency workers tended to the victims.

"I was very emotional (and) it was very scary because it could happen to anyone right? It could happen to your own parents," Chris Makris said.

The Mayor of TMR, Peter Malouf, told CTV town employees are devastated by what happened, and that the driver of the tow truck and another employee who witnessed the incident are being treated for nervous shock.

Malouf said the town has worked to try to make the corner safer.

"Last year we added security lights for pedestrian crossings. We increased the walkways, the signal of the walkways and the time that it takes to cross the street," Malouf said.

But pedestrian safety group Pietons Montreal says much more can be done to protect people.

"When we look at the road safety record last year in 2022 there were 79 pedestrians that die on our street in Quebec and, among them, it’s 50 per cent that are over 65 years old," said spokesperson Veronique Fournier.

The Mayor of Montreal also said safety has to be a top priority in all municipalities.

"We need to put the security of pedestrians, cyclists, but pedestrians first at the top of our list when it comes to our roads (and) how we create new streets," said Valerie Plante.

A post on the Montreal suburb's Facebook page said a city worker was driving to assist another town vehicle that had broken down when the collision occurred.

Police have interviewed witnesses but the collision remains under investigation as they wait for surveillance camera footage to become available.

Allaire Morin said at this point, the collision appears to be "an accident."

TMR will have a book of condolences available at town hall in the next few days for residents to sign, as well as an electronic version on its website, a press release said.

With files from CTV's Matt Grillo