Man dies after being run over in Downtown Eastside laneway last week, police say

A decal on a Vancouver police cruiser is seen in this undated photo.

Vancouver -

A 39-year-old man has died after being run over in an alley in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, police say.

The incident happened last week in a lane near Gore Street and Union Avenue, according to a news release from the Vancouver Police Department.

The man was using drugs in the lane when he fell asleep in front of a parkade gate around 3:30 p.m. on May 26, police said, adding that a driver who was attempting to enter the parkade "mistakenly drove over him."

"This is tragic and heartbreaking on many levels,” said VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison, in the release. “While this was an awful and avoidable set of circumstances, we don’t believe foul play or dangerous driving were factors in this collision.”

The man was experiencing homelessness and had no fixed address, according to police. He suffered "grave injuries," and required the assistance of paramedics and firefighters to extricate him from underneath the car, police said.

He was taken to hospital for treatment, where he died Tuesday, police said.

The VPD collision investigation unit is leading the investigation, and detectives have spoken with the driver, reviewed security video and examined the vehicle involved.

Police said it appears the driver was unable to see the man, who was lying flat on the ground near the entrance to the underground parking area. Charges against the driver are not expected, according to police.

The incident is Vancouver's seventh pedestrian fatality of the year, police said.