Coroner cites insufficient lighting at crossing

71-year-old pedestrian died after being struck by car in Lachine

A coroner’s report into a fatal collision in Lachine that led to the death of a 71-year-old pedestrian last October concludes that insufficient lighting at a pedestrian crosswalk was the cause of the accident.

Coroner Jacques Ramsay’s report found that the driver involved in the accident was not at fault, the pedestrian was where he should have been, but the borough should be vigilant about lighting this pedestrian crossing more efficiently.

Ramsay said the intersection at Provost and 32nd Ave. was poorly lit. In fact, when he visited the site as part of his investigation, the light for the crosswalk was burned out.

On Oct. 7, 2014, Lino Cierzo was returning to his home on Provost St. It was 8:30 p.m. and dark.

Cierzo, 71, used the pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Provost and 32nd Ave. between a convenience store and Grovehill Park.

A motorist travelling west on Provost St. did not see Cierzo until the last minute and swerved to the left. Neither speed nor alcohol were causes of the accident, according to both the police and the coroner’s reports.

The passenger side of the car’s bumper hit Cierzo in the hip and buttocks, he landed on the hood and then fell to the ground.

Cierzo was not bleeding nor unconscious. He scored high on neurological tests administered on the scene by emergency medical staff, but he was agitated, so an ambulance was called to take him to the Montreal General Hospital. Once at the hospital, it was discovered he had an inter-cranial fracture and was bleeding internally.

On Oct. 8, Cierzo was operated on to relieve the pressure on his brain. He never regained consciousness and died Oct. 12.

Lachine borough Mayor Claude Dauphin said his public works department confirmed they changed and improved the lighting two weeks after the accident.

“We were hands on,” Dauphin said.

In January, however, as part of a reform of the financing of boroughs, Provost St. was declared part of the arterial network of Montreal and is now under the jurisdiction of the centre city, Dauphin explained.

“Before this, maybe one or two of our roads were arterial, but now many more,” he said.

What this means is that major roads that traverse many boroughs, such as Ste-Catherine St. downtown, come under the heading of the city centre and all work is done and paid for by the city and not the boroughs.

“We have lost our margin to manoeuvre, but we are working with the City of Montreal to improve the situation, to make this a better crossing,” they mayor said.

We are working with the City of Montreal to improve the situation, to make this a better crossing.