pedestrian highway crash

Pedestrian causes car crash by walking across Toronto highway

Today in dashcam footage of ill-advised moves on local highways, a man who got into a car accident on Hwy 427 in Toronto this weekend is thought to have caused a secondary collision by crossing the busy road on foot.  

Motorist Wayne Edward says he was driving in the busy highway’s northbound collectors lane, just south of Burnhamthorpe Road, when he spotted someone walking from left to right ahead. 

"This IDIOT pedestrian crossed the highway, I stop to avoid running him down, and BAM, I get slammed into by a Porsche SUV, likely causing it to be written off!" wrote Edward in the caption of a video posted to YouTube on January 13

The footage, captured by dashcam, starts with Edward's vehicle transferring into the right lane, as his intention was to take the next exit.

Two cars slow down in the middle lane, obscuring Edward's view of the pedestrian walking across until it's nearly too late.

"Turns out the pedestrian was from the original collision, and crossed the highway to talk with the other driver," said Edwards.

"I was actually slowing down and moving over to the left a little bit, because I see the vehicle stopped on the right shoulder, just before the exit I'm about to take," he continued. "I don't even see what's going on over on the left shoulder, since you can clearly see the black car is blocking my view."

Edward said it took him three seconds to come to a complete stop when he saw the pedestrian, and that he was hit from behind "a split second later."

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt is aware of the incident, and is using the opportunity to once again warn drivers that they should stay inside their vehicles in the event of highway collisions.

"If you are in a collision, stay in your car," he wrote in the caption of a Periscope lecture on the subject Monday afternoon. "Do not risk injury as a pedestrian, and get off the highway as fast as you can."

Lead photo by

Wayne Edward


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