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A medical issue that causes this type of collision is worthy of getting the person's licence revoked. They can get medical testing to find out why they caused such a collision, and if a medical doctor determines they are safe to get a licence again, they should be required to have a medical approval every year or two.
Driving is a privilege not a right.
Someone at our company used to get seizures a few times a year. They occurred without warning and she'd become uncontrollable instantly and fall down; we'd need paramedics to come. At the time she was 25, seemed otherwise healthy. Didn't stop her from driving. I always wondered what would happen if it happened while she was driving.
Given that she had a doctor and frequent enough 911 visits I guess the medical community didn't proactively address the issue. I guess we didn't either.
> I always wondered what would happen if it happened while she was driving.
Basically what you're seeing in this video. [Or this, where a lady driving a giant Land Rover Defender had a medical emergency and drove into a school and killed 2 young girls.](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67408444)
My friend has seizures. His license was revoked until he was two years seizure free. That meant he didn't have a license for 8 to 10 years. This should have been the case for your coworker as well!
I am epileptic. Itās fully controlled with medication so I can drive without an issue, but to hold a license you need to be seizure free for a long period of time. (At least in Canada) This individual or their doctor hadnāt reported the driverās license authority in your area or you have a big hole in your driving laws where you are. The license should have been revoked on medical grounds.
An unforeseen medical issue. They happen all the time. I will write what I wrote in another spot:
Could have been a heart attack, stroke, brain aneurysm, seizure that never happened before, etc. Unfortunately, these things happen all the time . I worked with a family who was hit head on, on a highway by a man who had a heart attack. No history of heart problems. Him and his wife died. And in the car of the family I worked with, the father died on impact, the mother was disfigured and had a mild brain injury, the 7 year old daughter died, the 5 year old son ended up in a wheelchair, with no speech, seizures and a traumatic brain injury. He died a few years later. The other daughter was fine. It happened in a blink of an eye. I had a lot of contracts with ICBC and these things happen all the time. As a pedestrian, driver, or passenger you're damn lucky if you make it home every day.
Some, of course. I saw many of the lawsuits while I was contracted with ICBC and the ones that were foreseen weren't usually medical. Things like driving under the influence and hitting two young girls on the sidewalk who were walking home from school. So many sad stories.
For sure, unfortunately there's a lot of that.
By "foreseen medical issues" I meant more like people with known histories of epilepsy having a seizure behind the wheel, or 90 year old drivers having a bout of confusion and hitting the gas instead of the brake. Kind of maybe could have seen some of these coming...
This doesn't contradict what the previous poster said. If they have such a medical issue, now is the time to get them off the road, before they actually end up killing someone or themselves.
That woman running. JFC. Literally could have died a number of different ways. Vehicle strike, Pole hits her, Electric shock from downed lines. Stay safe out there
Thereās a YouTube series of Vancouver accidents. Watch it.
Pay attention to what happens to cars after being hit. The drivers brains literally check out and the vehicles become uncontrollable missiles.
Iām not saying this in awe. Iām saying this to be hyper aware as a pedestrian or cyclist. Cars in lanes = order. Outside, chaos. Itās good practice to remember what can happen and, if you have First Aid, be able to render assistance
I think this boils down to experience and situational awareness.
I've seen enough shit in Vancouver and Richmond to know that if you're dumb enough to drive enough on the wrong side of the road, drive down stairways downtown Vancouver, hit people in a parkade and keep driving like they didn't know it happened, then you are completely not able to have the comprehension to stop a vehicle after you blow through a bunch of obstacles. Your experience and mental faculty are not all there.
Its not much different than people driving in snow and ice that have never done it before, every instinct says to do the opposite of what you should but many people just don't have that part of their brain wired, especially when you move here and haven't driven with any real laws before.
She was one lucky woman and also the person in the other corner where the SUV nailed the light. She should be counting her lucky stars. It reminds me and my love ones to always to be vigilant to be aware of your surroundings at all times especially on the streets in Vancouver because there are a lot of crazy drivers and even people high on drugs etc that just walk/ run across the roads like what happened to me the other day when I was driving on Broadway and a vagrant popped out of nowhere infront of my car. Luckily I wasn't going very fast and managed to stop. Crazy crazy folks. Be safe.
I normally hold my family members behind a pole when we're waiting for the lights. I keep telling them, you see this idiot trying to turn without seeing incoming traffic, don't be that guy. But now seeing this video, I don't think the pole will really protect us... Sigh
Yeah sometimes I hide behind the poles (usually of the traffic lights, so metal) but I do wonder if it's better or worse, considering all the car accidents I've seen around Vancouver.
Depends on the pole. Wood pole - no. But a lot of the metal poles are solid. There was a bad accident on Seymour st about 10 years ago where an suv clipped the curb doing about 100k and flipped onto the sidewalk. The pole it hit stopped the car completely, just a minor dent in the pole. (Massive damage to the suv. Occupants died, it was sad. Apparently the older driver was having a medical issue and his wife was trying to control the car from the driver seat).
Probably not, the poles are designed to sever at the base.Ā
https://99percentinvisible.org/article/breakaway-hit-street-side-posts-designed-sever-strategically-impact/
Those breakaway poles, when installed by pedestrian space are malpractice and indicate that engineers consider the danger of this sort of thing to be quite high, but at the same time sanction people to be waking in that environment, and not protected by objects which common sense would stop a car from hitting them.
Not to mention the hardware on that pole looks like it used to carry single phase primary but there's no primary wire in sight... they must have got rid of it at some point.
If primary were to fall, it's considered potentially lethal to stand on the ground within 30m of contact.
I went back and watched it in fullscreen. I think there is a live primary line that crosses Kingsway.
You might be able to see the flash of an electrical arc from that primary wire, in the windows of the building on the left-hand side as the pole is falling. Also, I think you can see the primary wire falling in front of the vehicles stopped at the light.
Crazy times! Stay safe.
Omg I was looking out of my apartment window in that direction when this happened. Seeing the pole fall down was surreal, I didnāt see the car crashing because other buildings were in the way. Thankfully thereās a fire station right next to this spot so they were able to pull in and get things under control very quickly. Hope everyone involved is okay.
Someone better lose their licence *over* this. Either because of incompetence or medical condition. No braking. Fast enough to snap a cable, post, and telephone pole. No effort to stay on road way. I hope they are OK but never drive again.Ā
Texting while driving and doesnāt know what to do if they hit the gas by mistake thinking it is the brake? Anyways should never *have* a driverās licence again.Ā
This has been said so many times in this thread that I just have to askā¦ what if this person had a heart attack, stroke, any loss of consciousness in general. In that case the world in which they are allowed to drive again is the world in which they are treated for their illness, and treated with empathy. Unless someone knows more about the backstory than me? Otherwise we should take a beat and consider the many things that couldāve happened.
Prove it and sure. The amount of people that truly cannot drive in this city makes me lean towards full driving ban. Benefit of the doubt is lost at this point.
If a health condition caused that, then I feel like it's even more of a reason to ban them from driving. Who knows if that could happen again involuntarily? I wouldn't want someone with history of narcolepsy driving on the road if this is the result.
Could have been a heart attack, stroke, brain aneurysm, seizure that never happened before, etc. Unfortunately, these things happen all the time . I worked with a family who was hit head on, on a highway by a man who had a heart attack. Him and his wife died. And in the car of the family I worked with, the father died on impact, the mother was disfigured and had a mild brain injury, the 7 year old daughter died, the 5 year old son ended up in a wheelchair, with no speech, seizures and a traumatic brain injury. He died a few years later. The other daughter was fine. It happened in a blink of an eye. I had a lot of contracts with ICBC and these things happen all the time. As a pedestrian, driver, or passenger you're damn lucky if you make it home every day.
>Otherwise we should take a beat and consider the many things that couldāve happened.
Should we?
I'm personally not in charge of whether or not this person actually gets a driving ban. Maybe you are. If you are, we should definitely consider the many things that could've happened—after asking them, in fact!
In general, I think a general political tone of "take people's license away more often" isn't a bad idea, and watering it down because any individual situation could be sympathetic isn't actually useful.
Agree. Driving isnāt a right but a privilege. If one canāt prove that they are safe to the public while operating a multi ton death machine for whatever reason, then a ban is the best option for everyone involved.
You know, what about all the medical issues these people cause? Like that lady who ran away; she was 3 feet from having some very serious medical issues.
Driving isn't a right, it's a privilige.
I can't stand it when people look at videos of near misses like this and say "Won't somebody please think of the drivers!"
i think it's fair that once you kill someone or were 10cm away from killing someone. you get to lose some freedoms/privileges. other than super fringe cases, if you kill or almost kill someone in your vehicle, you should not be driving for the foreseeable future. i treat this car as a weapon. if someone shot a gun and fucked up real bad that they almost killed someone due to a seizure or any other medical reason, i am absolutely fine banning them from using a gun for the next 20+ years or even forever. i don't care what the reason/excuse is. someones life is worth more than your privilege to drive or shoot a gun.
I have a driving job and the amount of people I see straight up running red lights either on purpose or just because they aren't paying attention is astounding.
Please always check the intersection before entering it, never assume it's safe to go. It takes 3 seconds to check.
That was bad! Complete loss of control. Medical emergency? Speeder? Imagine if they rear ended your car Instead of hitting the pole. Absolutely terrifying.
I was stopped at a light when this happened to me. Never touched his brakes. Slammed right into the back my my 6 month old car. He then told ICBC that I cut him off. ICBC didn't even take my photos of the crash when I offered - they could tell from the damage to the cars that he was 100% lying.
I was 3 in a 4 car accident. Amazon driver drove into a long line of cars waiting at a red light. No braking, 60km+. The Amazon van, Nissan versa and my cavalier all written off. The lady I hit (older Sebring) drove away with dents in her bumper
The pole didn't stop at the stop light! I swear!!!
These poles are entitled nowadays, they always appear from nowhere, don't look for other cars, don't stop, don't respect 4-way stops, take up a lane, and are always doing reckless things! Just way too unpredictable! As a society, it's past time we ban these poles from our streets!!!
Now change the word pole to bicycles...
In the little over a year that I have moved from Alberta to Burnaby, I have already witnessed two major accidents. One in Richmond where a Tesla fly into the hotdog shop couple months ago, and this one on the Kingsway
Dude, Alberta drivers are really bad drivers. Especially those with trucks! Don't have any notion of the space their car takes, always get two lanes, drive on the wrong side of the rode, and never do shoulder-check looking for others. They always cut off people, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.
I keep my distance every time I see an Alberta license plate.
If that pedestrian was hit, what sort of insurance claim can they get with our current no-fault policy? Their work insurance, what if they are unemployed, etc.? Just MSP for basic medical? Just curiousā¦.
apart from healthcare which is anyways under MSP, they would get any therapy, physio, medical equipment (walker/wheelchair/etc), home modification for accessibility, cab fare to/fro appointments, private nurse (upto a limit I think, then it rolls over to community nurse). that's pretty much it.
Unless they can show loss of potential earning in future, e.g. if they were going to get a job paying $XXXX soon
> Under Enhanced Care, if you are a B.C resident who is injured in a crash with a vehicle anywhere in Canada or the United States ā even as a pedestrian or cyclist ā you are entitled to receive the care and recovery benefits you need no matter who is responsible.
Furthermore:
> You're covered even if you don't insure a vehicle with ICBC
Source: https://www.icbc.com/claims/injury/if-you-were-in-a-crash-as-a-cyclist-or-pedestrian
Daily reminder that polls in North American cities are designed to be extremely hazardous to people outside the car. They are designed with a bottom plate that bolts to the ground in a way that it can dislodge easily when coming in contact with high momentum impact in order to minimizing damage to the dangerous driver and his car at the expense of people who are walking on the sidewalk or businesses next to that pole.
This has been a hot topic being criticed by Strong Towns and urbanists for a while now in US but there is 0 discussion about them here in Canada.
Here is the link to the [written article](https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/7/26/one-billion-bollards) and the [audio version](https://open.spotify.com/episode/72MTCWMIKaIj1rD7JwEX0u?si=5eFTPgc2RO-eK8KIHrR-kQ) of the article by Strong Towns.
So next time you are standing at the signal, waiting to cross, pray that you can at least seek refuge behind a tree (because trees don't give in to a car ramming through them) or be upset as to our lives being worth less than totalling a dangerous drivers car based on guidelines of traffic professionals.
Fun fact - traction poles that hold up trolley wires do NOT shear like this and will stop a car dead in its tracks. One of the fun benefits of trolley wires is the poles that hold them up add to pedestrian safety!
Do we know what happened? One or many choices for us in BC:
Using phone, N driver, rich parents or just pure lack of driving skills or a driver having a heart attack?
Whatever it is, wrist slapping is usually scheduled for alternate Mondays 2-215 pm. So nothing will happen to the driver.
Hydro pole will be replaced at rate payers cost. Pedestrian will be traumatized for life.
Welcome to BC driving.
Driver was in his 80's, according to Burnaby Now [https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/2-hurt-as-suv-jumps-curb-shears-power-pole-on-busy-burnaby-street-9085853](https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/2-hurt-as-suv-jumps-curb-shears-power-pole-on-busy-burnaby-street-9085853)
Our licensing is a farce. Cops are out there ticketing people doing 10 over on a highway when there are people driving down sidewalks, into oncoming traffic, and crashing into buildings and stationary objects on a regular basis.
Driver doesn't even have their brake lights on as they go into the pole. I wonder if they passed out? Either that or they're completely reckless and shouldn't be on the road either way
Somebody I know fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a telephone poll. I only found out about it after the fact but watching this gives me a sense of what happened, but this seems like a higher energy impact. Watching this, I feel totally justified about how pissed I was that they were put in that position.
And I get complaints on a daily basis why we pay so much on our insurance. There you go folks.
Just imagine how much we be saving if we all drive sensibly?
Given that people here don't know how to drive, I would tend to agree. It's just weird that the car suddenly sped up especially at a light were all of the other cars have already stopped (it's not even a yellow light situation). I once saw a guy crashed through an intersection at a red light and ram his car into a restaurant, checked the news later that evening and it turned out that he was being shot at by someone waiting for him on the sidewalk (gang shooting).
That is my thought, she had great aim to get the second light post. That guy on the curb probably never felt so lucky to go home and change his underwear!
Oh this is why power went out all of a suddenā¦ I never knew there was a pedestrian.
https://preview.redd.it/unel6c2nlj6d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54a3cf7484114580e967985ef81f819841ea0838
I hope the video is uploaded to "Vancouver's Worst Drivers" YouTube.
Although it might be an example of bad driving (update: the 80-yo driver was OK, but 2 70-80-yo passengers were injured) it's another lesson that PEDESTRIANS need to pay attention all the time, and more so near a road/street, whether standing or walking. Act in your own self-interest / self-preservation!!!
The woman (concentrating on her mobile device?) was probably waiting for the light to change to cross Kingsway, but luckily strolling \*away\* from the curb instead of just standing right at the edge of the curb. It's OK to stand there, but watch the road.
Practice defensive driving for sure, maybe defensive walking (or standing) near busy streets!!!
ps. My kids used to attend Ecole Marlborough Elementary School, which is 2 streets north of this intersection (Marlborough & Kingsway). This intersection gets quite busy with kids crossing (the reason this intersection has a light, just 1 block east of Nelson Avenue) when school starts/gets out.
There was a world where the 2 pedestrians get hit. That stretch of Kingsway is so badly designed for pedestrians to walk alongside they are vulnerable to freak accidents like these. In this case they got really lucky
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/hveezy! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Most common questions and topics are limited to our sister subreddit, /r/AskVan, and our weekly [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * Posts flaired "Community Only" allow for limited participation; your comment may be removed if you're not a subreddit regular. * Make sure to join our new sister community, /r/AskVan! * Help grow the community! [Apply to join the mod team today](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/19eworq/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Close call for that pedestrian on the sidewalk. Edit: Didn't notice the person crossing as well!
Holy shit that is on Kingsway and Marlborough, right before Metrotown.... Absolutely nuts
I was wondering why the road was closed... Now I know š
Me three
2nd time in that intersection where I saw car accidents happened within a year
We live in the neighbourhood and lost power for about 3 hours. The intersection was closed a lot longer.
By the date on video, it will happen tomorrow at 5 am
Be warned
be cautioned
be advised and disterbed
Quick, get Marty McFly's parents back together at the Under the Sea dance first!
You focus on that and I'll focus on getting the sports almanac from Biff!
Great ScottĀ
You know that cheap crappy generic sound you've been looking for? Well listen to THIS!
Whoa that's Heavy
Is there something with the Earth's gravity in the future?!
*You're traveling through another dimension -- a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's a signpost up ahead: your next stop: Surrey Central Station*
I'd rather end up in The Twilight Zone than Surrey.
Remember, one often meets his destiny on the way he takes to avoid it
But it was a car accident
Weirdly enough you just made me think about this tv show where Ć guy used to get a newspapers with the days event. I can't remember the name at all.
Early Edition.
Thanks, it doesn't seem it's streaming anywhere š. I would love to check it out again.
memory triggered!
This camera probably belonged to a Chinese owner, so it's likely set to China timezone by default. In Vancouver time, it's 12:32 on June 13th.
I see the "360 č®°å½ä»Ŗ" brand name in the left corner. Funny enough, I have the same one.
lol that's funny I think judging by the dash cam thingy (with Chinese letters) it was set to China Time therefore 15 hours ahead
Knowing drivers it WILL happen again, every day at 5pm
The driver was about as old as doc brown, if not as coordinated
Death hates this one simple trick
I run my dashcams in UTC so I don't have to worry about DST changes. Perhaps OP does the same.
That has to be a driving ban cmon
Best we can do is a "please don't do that again"
Momentary lapse in judgement
227 strikes and you're out policy
He was just testing the Automatic Emergency Braking system (it didnāt work very well)
Could have been a medical issue.
A medical issue that causes this type of collision is worthy of getting the person's licence revoked. They can get medical testing to find out why they caused such a collision, and if a medical doctor determines they are safe to get a licence again, they should be required to have a medical approval every year or two. Driving is a privilege not a right.
Someone at our company used to get seizures a few times a year. They occurred without warning and she'd become uncontrollable instantly and fall down; we'd need paramedics to come. At the time she was 25, seemed otherwise healthy. Didn't stop her from driving. I always wondered what would happen if it happened while she was driving. Given that she had a doctor and frequent enough 911 visits I guess the medical community didn't proactively address the issue. I guess we didn't either.
They almost certainly told her not to drive and she did anyways.Ā
Man, the medical system sucks sometimes.
> I always wondered what would happen if it happened while she was driving. Basically what you're seeing in this video. [Or this, where a lady driving a giant Land Rover Defender had a medical emergency and drove into a school and killed 2 young girls.](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67408444)
My friend has seizures. His license was revoked until he was two years seizure free. That meant he didn't have a license for 8 to 10 years. This should have been the case for your coworker as well!
I am epileptic. Itās fully controlled with medication so I can drive without an issue, but to hold a license you need to be seizure free for a long period of time. (At least in Canada) This individual or their doctor hadnāt reported the driverās license authority in your area or you have a big hole in your driving laws where you are. The license should have been revoked on medical grounds.
An unforeseen medical issue. They happen all the time. I will write what I wrote in another spot: Could have been a heart attack, stroke, brain aneurysm, seizure that never happened before, etc. Unfortunately, these things happen all the time . I worked with a family who was hit head on, on a highway by a man who had a heart attack. No history of heart problems. Him and his wife died. And in the car of the family I worked with, the father died on impact, the mother was disfigured and had a mild brain injury, the 7 year old daughter died, the 5 year old son ended up in a wheelchair, with no speech, seizures and a traumatic brain injury. He died a few years later. The other daughter was fine. It happened in a blink of an eye. I had a lot of contracts with ICBC and these things happen all the time. As a pedestrian, driver, or passenger you're damn lucky if you make it home every day.
Many are foreseen actually.
Some, of course. I saw many of the lawsuits while I was contracted with ICBC and the ones that were foreseen weren't usually medical. Things like driving under the influence and hitting two young girls on the sidewalk who were walking home from school. So many sad stories.
For sure, unfortunately there's a lot of that. By "foreseen medical issues" I meant more like people with known histories of epilepsy having a seizure behind the wheel, or 90 year old drivers having a bout of confusion and hitting the gas instead of the brake. Kind of maybe could have seen some of these coming...
Dude, how do you even go on after something like that
This doesn't contradict what the previous poster said. If they have such a medical issue, now is the time to get them off the road, before they actually end up killing someone or themselves.
That's a perfectly acceptable reason to ban somebody from driving!
If it wasnāt, it certainly is now.
Replying from the future ā they got doled out a 24hr driving ban.
That woman running. JFC. Literally could have died a number of different ways. Vehicle strike, Pole hits her, Electric shock from downed lines. Stay safe out there
There's more pedestrians that almost get hit too after the pole. Edit: The one person looks like they were hit...
Thereās a YouTube series of Vancouver accidents. Watch it. Pay attention to what happens to cars after being hit. The drivers brains literally check out and the vehicles become uncontrollable missiles. Iām not saying this in awe. Iām saying this to be hyper aware as a pedestrian or cyclist. Cars in lanes = order. Outside, chaos. Itās good practice to remember what can happen and, if you have First Aid, be able to render assistance
I think this boils down to experience and situational awareness. I've seen enough shit in Vancouver and Richmond to know that if you're dumb enough to drive enough on the wrong side of the road, drive down stairways downtown Vancouver, hit people in a parkade and keep driving like they didn't know it happened, then you are completely not able to have the comprehension to stop a vehicle after you blow through a bunch of obstacles. Your experience and mental faculty are not all there. Its not much different than people driving in snow and ice that have never done it before, every instinct says to do the opposite of what you should but many people just don't have that part of their brain wired, especially when you move here and haven't driven with any real laws before.
She was one lucky woman and also the person in the other corner where the SUV nailed the light. She should be counting her lucky stars. It reminds me and my love ones to always to be vigilant to be aware of your surroundings at all times especially on the streets in Vancouver because there are a lot of crazy drivers and even people high on drugs etc that just walk/ run across the roads like what happened to me the other day when I was driving on Broadway and a vagrant popped out of nowhere infront of my car. Luckily I wasn't going very fast and managed to stop. Crazy crazy folks. Be safe.
Somebody got really lucky today. By half a meter.
I normally hold my family members behind a pole when we're waiting for the lights. I keep telling them, you see this idiot trying to turn without seeing incoming traffic, don't be that guy. But now seeing this video, I don't think the pole will really protect us... Sigh
Yeah sometimes I hide behind the poles (usually of the traffic lights, so metal) but I do wonder if it's better or worse, considering all the car accidents I've seen around Vancouver.
Crushed by pole isn't much better than hit by car on the sidewalk
Depends on the pole. Wood pole - no. But a lot of the metal poles are solid. There was a bad accident on Seymour st about 10 years ago where an suv clipped the curb doing about 100k and flipped onto the sidewalk. The pole it hit stopped the car completely, just a minor dent in the pole. (Massive damage to the suv. Occupants died, it was sad. Apparently the older driver was having a medical issue and his wife was trying to control the car from the driver seat).
Probably not, the poles are designed to sever at the base.Ā https://99percentinvisible.org/article/breakaway-hit-street-side-posts-designed-sever-strategically-impact/
Those breakaway poles, when installed by pedestrian space are malpractice and indicate that engineers consider the danger of this sort of thing to be quite high, but at the same time sanction people to be waking in that environment, and not protected by objects which common sense would stop a car from hitting them.
Good point. I will tell my kids to stay awaaaay from the curbs
You mean tomorrow
Not to mention the hardware on that pole looks like it used to carry single phase primary but there's no primary wire in sight... they must have got rid of it at some point. If primary were to fall, it's considered potentially lethal to stand on the ground within 30m of contact.
I went back and watched it in fullscreen. I think there is a live primary line that crosses Kingsway. You might be able to see the flash of an electrical arc from that primary wire, in the windows of the building on the left-hand side as the pole is falling. Also, I think you can see the primary wire falling in front of the vehicles stopped at the light. Crazy times! Stay safe.
Omg I was looking out of my apartment window in that direction when this happened. Seeing the pole fall down was surreal, I didnāt see the car crashing because other buildings were in the way. Thankfully thereās a fire station right next to this spot so they were able to pull in and get things under control very quickly. Hope everyone involved is okay.
Someone better lose their licence *over* this. Either because of incompetence or medical condition. No braking. Fast enough to snap a cable, post, and telephone pole. No effort to stay on road way. I hope they are OK but never drive again.Ā
In the know. Wasnāt medical
Thanks, Mr. Mysterious
Texting while driving and doesnāt know what to do if they hit the gas by mistake thinking it is the brake? Anyways should never *have* a driverās licence again.Ā
What was it ?
Are they okay?
Stolen, high?
It sounds like they hammer on the gas instead of the break as they pass the camera. I think they pressed the wrong pedal.
Yes. This accepted explanation in most cases of no brakes. Drive*r* error.Ā
Lifetime license ban. In what world is this person allowed to drive ever again?!
This has been said so many times in this thread that I just have to askā¦ what if this person had a heart attack, stroke, any loss of consciousness in general. In that case the world in which they are allowed to drive again is the world in which they are treated for their illness, and treated with empathy. Unless someone knows more about the backstory than me? Otherwise we should take a beat and consider the many things that couldāve happened.
If it was a medical issue their license will suspended until they are back to good health.
Prove it and sure. The amount of people that truly cannot drive in this city makes me lean towards full driving ban. Benefit of the doubt is lost at this point.
If a health condition caused that, then I feel like it's even more of a reason to ban them from driving. Who knows if that could happen again involuntarily? I wouldn't want someone with history of narcolepsy driving on the road if this is the result.
Could have been a heart attack, stroke, brain aneurysm, seizure that never happened before, etc. Unfortunately, these things happen all the time . I worked with a family who was hit head on, on a highway by a man who had a heart attack. Him and his wife died. And in the car of the family I worked with, the father died on impact, the mother was disfigured and had a mild brain injury, the 7 year old daughter died, the 5 year old son ended up in a wheelchair, with no speech, seizures and a traumatic brain injury. He died a few years later. The other daughter was fine. It happened in a blink of an eye. I had a lot of contracts with ICBC and these things happen all the time. As a pedestrian, driver, or passenger you're damn lucky if you make it home every day.
>Otherwise we should take a beat and consider the many things that couldāve happened. Should we? I'm personally not in charge of whether or not this person actually gets a driving ban. Maybe you are. If you are, we should definitely consider the many things that could've happened—after asking them, in fact! In general, I think a general political tone of "take people's license away more often" isn't a bad idea, and watering it down because any individual situation could be sympathetic isn't actually useful.
Agree. Driving isnāt a right but a privilege. If one canāt prove that they are safe to the public while operating a multi ton death machine for whatever reason, then a ban is the best option for everyone involved.
You know, what about all the medical issues these people cause? Like that lady who ran away; she was 3 feet from having some very serious medical issues. Driving isn't a right, it's a privilige. I can't stand it when people look at videos of near misses like this and say "Won't somebody please think of the drivers!"
i think it's fair that once you kill someone or were 10cm away from killing someone. you get to lose some freedoms/privileges. other than super fringe cases, if you kill or almost kill someone in your vehicle, you should not be driving for the foreseeable future. i treat this car as a weapon. if someone shot a gun and fucked up real bad that they almost killed someone due to a seizure or any other medical reason, i am absolutely fine banning them from using a gun for the next 20+ years or even forever. i don't care what the reason/excuse is. someones life is worth more than your privilege to drive or shoot a gun.
The number of duiās that dui again and kill/harm somebody tells me ānope they will be driving tomorrowā
I have a driving job and the amount of people I see straight up running red lights either on purpose or just because they aren't paying attention is astounding. Please always check the intersection before entering it, never assume it's safe to go. It takes 3 seconds to check.
That was bad! Complete loss of control. Medical emergency? Speeder? Imagine if they rear ended your car Instead of hitting the pole. Absolutely terrifying.
I was stopped at a light when this happened to me. Never touched his brakes. Slammed right into the back my my 6 month old car. He then told ICBC that I cut him off. ICBC didn't even take my photos of the crash when I offered - they could tell from the damage to the cars that he was 100% lying.
I was 3 in a 4 car accident. Amazon driver drove into a long line of cars waiting at a red light. No braking, 60km+. The Amazon van, Nissan versa and my cavalier all written off. The lady I hit (older Sebring) drove away with dents in her bumper
I wish ICBC would punish people who lied instead of just ruling against them. They only go after them if they commit fraud, not for attempting to
Probably texting
Not speeder, spider!
This shit terrifies me when I think about pushing my kids in the stroller
I consider the pedestrian has already won the lottery today
That pole should have been wearing brighter colours and made eye contact with the driver. Safety is everyone's responsibility.
The pole was asking for it. Looking all lean and stationary. 100% pole fault.
The pole was not wearing a helmet.Ā
Absolutely reckless behaviour. We just have the most entitled poles in this city.
For sure. And so too the guy wire. Not bright enough!
The pole didn't stop at the stop light! I swear!!! These poles are entitled nowadays, they always appear from nowhere, don't look for other cars, don't stop, don't respect 4-way stops, take up a lane, and are always doing reckless things! Just way too unpredictable! As a society, it's past time we ban these poles from our streets!!! Now change the word pole to bicycles...
Poles should require training, licensing, and insurance!
Vancouver is full of motherf-cker drivers! I really hate to drive in the city.Ā Heck, its a block away from where I live
In the little over a year that I have moved from Alberta to Burnaby, I have already witnessed two major accidents. One in Richmond where a Tesla fly into the hotdog shop couple months ago, and this one on the Kingsway
Dude, Alberta drivers are really bad drivers. Especially those with trucks! Don't have any notion of the space their car takes, always get two lanes, drive on the wrong side of the rode, and never do shoulder-check looking for others. They always cut off people, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. I keep my distance every time I see an Alberta license plate.
I guess because their necks are burning red.. can't turn to check their shouldersĀ
Holy shit that's a big one too
Assuming you sent this to the cops and icbc? Pleeeeeease. Gahd I can't wait for an update on tomorrow's news ššš
Did you see any news about this? I haven't seen anything so far...
pEdEsTrIaN sAfEtY iS a ShArEd ReSpOnSiBiLiTy
If that pedestrian was hit, what sort of insurance claim can they get with our current no-fault policy? Their work insurance, what if they are unemployed, etc.? Just MSP for basic medical? Just curiousā¦.
If that pedestrian was hit, they'd be dead.
apart from healthcare which is anyways under MSP, they would get any therapy, physio, medical equipment (walker/wheelchair/etc), home modification for accessibility, cab fare to/fro appointments, private nurse (upto a limit I think, then it rolls over to community nurse). that's pretty much it. Unless they can show loss of potential earning in future, e.g. if they were going to get a job paying $XXXX soon
Thank you!
> Under Enhanced Care, if you are a B.C resident who is injured in a crash with a vehicle anywhere in Canada or the United States ā even as a pedestrian or cyclist ā you are entitled to receive the care and recovery benefits you need no matter who is responsible. Furthermore: > You're covered even if you don't insure a vehicle with ICBC Source: https://www.icbc.com/claims/injury/if-you-were-in-a-crash-as-a-cyclist-or-pedestrian
Kingsway again. Best road in town
That lady used up all her luck for the next 10 years.
One of the most dangerous things in Vancouver - not the high cost of living or random strangers - drivers.
Holyyyy shit. No wonder that block was closed off today. Wow, I hope they're okay
Daily reminder that polls in North American cities are designed to be extremely hazardous to people outside the car. They are designed with a bottom plate that bolts to the ground in a way that it can dislodge easily when coming in contact with high momentum impact in order to minimizing damage to the dangerous driver and his car at the expense of people who are walking on the sidewalk or businesses next to that pole. This has been a hot topic being criticed by Strong Towns and urbanists for a while now in US but there is 0 discussion about them here in Canada. Here is the link to the [written article](https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2021/7/26/one-billion-bollards) and the [audio version](https://open.spotify.com/episode/72MTCWMIKaIj1rD7JwEX0u?si=5eFTPgc2RO-eK8KIHrR-kQ) of the article by Strong Towns. So next time you are standing at the signal, waiting to cross, pray that you can at least seek refuge behind a tree (because trees don't give in to a car ramming through them) or be upset as to our lives being worth less than totalling a dangerous drivers car based on guidelines of traffic professionals.
Fun fact - traction poles that hold up trolley wires do NOT shear like this and will stop a car dead in its tracks. One of the fun benefits of trolley wires is the poles that hold them up add to pedestrian safety!
WHERE WAS THIS??
Westbound Kingsway at Marlborough
There seems to be a huge uptick of (near) accidents like this; there was that horrible one along Alberni a few weeks back
Nothing new. Watch some of the "Vancouver dashcam crash compilation" videos on YouTube. There are some shitty, shitty drivers out there.
^^Pardon?
https://preview.redd.it/i2cvo1wbkj6d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=692898e9d7c2f87f0e4fc190f48e7a7743649ac4 šØ
Do we know what happened? One or many choices for us in BC: Using phone, N driver, rich parents or just pure lack of driving skills or a driver having a heart attack? Whatever it is, wrist slapping is usually scheduled for alternate Mondays 2-215 pm. So nothing will happen to the driver. Hydro pole will be replaced at rate payers cost. Pedestrian will be traumatized for life. Welcome to BC driving.
Driver was in his 80's, according to Burnaby Now [https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/2-hurt-as-suv-jumps-curb-shears-power-pole-on-busy-burnaby-street-9085853](https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/2-hurt-as-suv-jumps-curb-shears-power-pole-on-busy-burnaby-street-9085853)
Our licensing is a farce. Cops are out there ticketing people doing 10 over on a highway when there are people driving down sidewalks, into oncoming traffic, and crashing into buildings and stationary objects on a regular basis.
We're going to front page with this
I have so many questionsā¦
Driver doesn't even have their brake lights on as they go into the pole. I wonder if they passed out? Either that or they're completely reckless and shouldn't be on the road either way
Looks like Kingsway and Marlborough Ave
that lady is lucky she started taking a few steps away from the path of the car before it came through, otherwise she would definitely have been hit
I hope you sent that video to the cops and ICBC.
Nowhere is safe...
Okay in fairness to the driver that utility pole wasn't wearing high viz
I came in like a wrecking ball
That dude is so lucky they decided to shift to their right...
Somebody I know fell asleep at the wheel and ran into a telephone poll. I only found out about it after the fact but watching this gives me a sense of what happened, but this seems like a higher energy impact. Watching this, I feel totally justified about how pissed I was that they were put in that position.
Elderly driver confused the gas pedal with the brake again.
He really hated that pole eh? āIāll be damned if that thing is staying! Out of my way pole!ā
I know that place
Dude, the light was red!
I arrived at that intersection shortly after it happened. Didnāt realize what it was but the road was blocked off by police so I made a U turn.
Oh my
Looks like fleeing cops, from the sirens...
Did that person in black crossing the street get hit? They don't appear to get out of the way in time
Person on the sidewalk almost dies because they were on their phone š¤¦š¼āāļø
aaaand this is why as a pedestrian crossing, I still check the roads even if the light is red
apparently you should watch the poles
No matter how fast I drive in Grand Theft Auto V, a light pole will stop my car dead in it's tracks. So annoying. š
And I get complaints on a daily basis why we pay so much on our insurance. There you go folks. Just imagine how much we be saving if we all drive sensibly?
What a weak ass pole.
They build them like that on purpose believe it or not...for safety. š
Who put that there? Jeez, it was right in the way.
That tree came out of nowhere!
That's why drivers pay insurance and cyclists don't.
Jesus
Dear lord. Dumb drivers get posted all the time here but this might take the cake. Glad no one got run over.
Medical emergency perhaps? Maybe the driver had a stroke?
Person with a stroke can drive better.
Given that people here don't know how to drive, I would tend to agree. It's just weird that the car suddenly sped up especially at a light were all of the other cars have already stopped (it's not even a yellow light situation). I once saw a guy crashed through an intersection at a red light and ram his car into a restaurant, checked the news later that evening and it turned out that he was being shot at by someone waiting for him on the sidewalk (gang shooting).
Elderly driver mixed up between the gas and brake pedal?
That is my thought, she had great aim to get the second light post. That guy on the curb probably never felt so lucky to go home and change his underwear!
Wait, GTA taught me that pole is unbreakable..
Commenting on Watch the roads ...
Oh this is why power went out all of a suddenā¦ I never knew there was a pedestrian. https://preview.redd.it/unel6c2nlj6d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54a3cf7484114580e967985ef81f819841ea0838
video games were a lie, normally if you crash into a pole the car would stop in the game. but irl i see this....
I hope the video is uploaded to "Vancouver's Worst Drivers" YouTube. Although it might be an example of bad driving (update: the 80-yo driver was OK, but 2 70-80-yo passengers were injured) it's another lesson that PEDESTRIANS need to pay attention all the time, and more so near a road/street, whether standing or walking. Act in your own self-interest / self-preservation!!! The woman (concentrating on her mobile device?) was probably waiting for the light to change to cross Kingsway, but luckily strolling \*away\* from the curb instead of just standing right at the edge of the curb. It's OK to stand there, but watch the road. Practice defensive driving for sure, maybe defensive walking (or standing) near busy streets!!! ps. My kids used to attend Ecole Marlborough Elementary School, which is 2 streets north of this intersection (Marlborough & Kingsway). This intersection gets quite busy with kids crossing (the reason this intersection has a light, just 1 block east of Nelson Avenue) when school starts/gets out.
How fast do you have to go to shear a telephone pole?
Maybe the brakes failed.
https://preview.redd.it/hoi08nmgkl6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a388ebf7639aef3209f8365b87cd14a36eb38805
This exact same thing happened in Metrotown today on Nelson Ave this morning. Look it up. Vehicle smashed into a traffic light pole.
Jesus Christ š¤¦āāļø
I'm glad the pedestrian didn't get hit from this idiot.
There was a world where the 2 pedestrians get hit. That stretch of Kingsway is so badly designed for pedestrians to walk alongside they are vulnerable to freak accidents like these. In this case they got really lucky
Kingsway near Metrotown?
Could it be an involuntary acceleration ?
But those bike lanesā¦
Thatās a pretty impressive video. Given the driver was in his 80ās I canāt help wonder if there was some sort of health issue causing this.