Pedestrian fatally struck by semi-truck in New Westminster, police launch investigation

An officer with the New Westminster Police Department is pictured at the scene of a fatal pedestrian motor vehicle incident on Sunday, Feb. 19. (CTV)

The death of a pedestrian who was struck by a semi-truck in New Westminster on Sunday afternoon is under investigation.

Traffic was shut down on East Columbia Street from McBride Boulevard to Strand Avenue for hours, as police responded to what was initially described as “a motor vehicle incident.”

On Monday morning, the New Westminster Police Department confirmed the fatality, and said the pedestrian was unresponsive by the time officers arrived to the scene around 12:30 p.m.

“This is a tragic event and our thoughts are with the family of this individual,” Sgt. Andrew Leaver wrote in a NWPD release Monday. “We have a large team of investigators working together to determine how this happened, but we are still in the early stages at this point.”

According to a New Westminster police spokesperson, the driver of the semi-truck remained on scene and has been cooperating with police.

“We also wanted to notify the family of the person who died before sharing publicly that this pedestrian motor vehicle incident involved a fatality,” Hailey Finnigan wrote in an email to CTV News. 

She says the victim was a man in his 50s. 

When police first alerted the public of the traffic closures Sunday, ongoing safety concerns in the neighbourhood were raised.

“The intersection is incredibly sketchy for pedestrians,” one person wrote on Twitter. “The traffic is so close to you when walking, it’s going fast and there is limited visibility.”

Another person called on the City of New Westminster to take action.

“What are you planning on doing to improve the safety of pedestrians in this area in light of this news?” Yogita Grover wrote. "Semis are too wide and too big to be racing through this area.”

According to public data by ICBC, there were at least 11 crashes involving pedestrians along the stretch of East Columbia between Alberta and Braid streets from 2016-2020. 

Members are on the scene for a motor vehicle incident in the 100 block of East Columbia. Traffic is being diverted on E. Columbia at Cumberland St for eastbound traffic and E. Columbia at Strand Ave for westbound traffic. Please avoid the area. Updates will be provided. #Newwest

— New Westminster Police Department (@NewWestPD) February 19, 2023

This is a developing story and will be updated.