A Cambridge resident was shocked when he saw emergency vehicles parked outside his home early Thursday afternoon.
John Rees rushed to his surveillance footage to see if he could see what had happened.
Upon looking he saw a pedestrian waiting to cross the road and then when the light turned green they only got half way across before getting hit by a car.
The video shows a sedan making a left hand turn onto Concession Road and side-swiping the pedestrian causing them to fall to the ground. Bystanders can be seen rushing to help the pedestrian as the driver of the vehicle stops just out of frame.
Reaction to the video was swift with many Facebook users praising those who ran to help and saying they've had similar close calls with inattentive drivers in Cambridge. Others recognized there's a blind spot for drivers making a left turn and urged people to always do a shoulder check to look for pedestrians and cyclists.
Police confirmed in an email to CambridgeToday that emergency services responded to the collision around 2:40 p.m. Thursday and a pedestrian was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Public information officer Const. Brad Hickey said the investigation is still ongoing and no charges have been laid.
Rees said he has known for quite some time that the intersection at Langs Drive and Concession Road has been dangerous, having seen first hand some close calls and dangerous driving behaviour.
"I have just been fighting with the city on this intersection for a while," said Rees. "I’ve asked for cops to come here and sit because people are constantly running red lights, people are almost getting hit... people on their cell phones people speeding."
He even claims he has offered his driveway as a spot for police to come and watch the intersection, but so far they haven't taken him up on the offer.
Rees said with elementary schools, Lang's Community Hub and a seniors home in close proximity, cameras or other speed calming measures should be put in before someone gets seriously injured.
He said he's stopped drivers for disobeying traffic rules. "There is one that I did at the beginning of the summer; lady ran the red light almost hit an elderly woman crossing the road I walked out in front and made her stop. I said you better pay attention before you kill somebody," said Rees.
He hopes that by sharing this video on social media it will bring awareness to the intersection and prompt police and city officials to make it safer for those on the road and living near it.
