No charges will be laid against the driver or pedestrian involved in a serious collision last autumn on Algonquin Avenue in North Bay.
See related: Pedestrian struck by pickup on Algonquin Avenue
At approximately 7:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, the North Bay Police Service, District of Nipissing Paramedics and North Bay Fire and Emergency Services responded to a motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. The collision occurred in the 1200 block of Algonquin Avenue, between Greenwood Avenue and Elmwood Avenue.
Following its investigation, the North Bay Police Service reported a 36-year-old female pedestrian was crossing from the east side of the street to the west. This portion of the roadway does not have a designated crosswalk and police observed that visibility was likely affected due to low light at the time of the incident. Police say the operator of the motor vehicle, a 46-year-old male, was travelling southbound on Algonquin Avenue and struck the pedestrian as she was crossing the roadway.
According to the joint investigation between NBPS and OPP Police Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Unit., the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle was not impaired and the vehicle was travelling at or around the posted speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour. The investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle was not at fault and no charges will be laid.
The collision occurred near the front of the medical building at 1221 Algonquin Ave. In years past, this section of the busy road became a point of contention after pedestrians were killed or injured while crossing against traffic. The City of North Bay looked into the demand from the public for a pedestrian crossing across Algonquin but opted not to proceed as the crossing was deemed inappropriate for that area, partly because it is so close to the existing traffic lights at Algonquin, intersected by Lansdowne Avenue and Norwood Avenue.
See also: Pedestrian struck on Algonquin Avenue 'lucky to be alive'
Police say they have no information suggesting the pedestrian was impaired when she crossed Algonquin Avenue. The single mother of four was transported to Health Sciences North in Sudbury with serious, life-threatening injuries.
Days after the incident, a report from the injured woman's family indicated she was "making great progress" and on her way to recovery.
"The doctors state that it is a miracle she is alive, and was minutes from death," the woman's sister posted, adding she had made great progress, was breathing on her own, and had started to wake up.