Dramatic dashcam footage shows a pedestrian narrowly escaping a collision between two vehicles at a busy intersection in East Vancouver.
The video, captured on Thursday morning at the corner of East Hastings Street and Clark Drive, shows a white pickup truck making a left turn when it is struck by an oncoming sedan. A pedestrian crossing the street at the same time can be seen scrambling to get out of the way as the back of the pickup swings into the crosswalk.
“I was beside myself,” said a nearby resident named Kyle. “I thought the guy got hit.”
Vancouver police say no one was injured in the crash, but those familiar with the busy intersection at the entrance to the Port of Vancouver say these kinds of close calls aren’t unusual.
“I always kind of imagine I’ll be sitting at my desk and watch a truck come into our showroom,” said Max Anderson, who work at Fresh Headies, a clothing store on East Hastings Street.
“I think cars are probably a little more aggressive trying to get away from the trucks,” said resident Al Belado.
With some 35 pedestrians killed and 1,700 injured in the Lower Mainland each year, some concerned residents have taken it upon themselves to raise awareness about the consequences that kind of behaviour on the road.
Nathan Ng and his brother Ryan run a YouTube channel called “Vancouver Dashcam.” Ng says he’s witnessed more than a dozen hair-raising moments like the one on Thursday.
“We wanted to…shame bad drivers,” Ng said, during a ride-along with CTV Vancouver. “You’ve got to watch out for these kinds of people, and watch out for yourself, really.”
With files from CTV Vancouver’s David Molko
