Pedestrian dies after being run over twice by same vehicle in northeast Calgary
The driver, a man in his 50s, did not see the victim lying on a dark sidewalk, police said.
CALGARY · A pedestrian has died after being run over twice by the same vehicle in northeast Calgary early Monday morning, police said. Emergency crews were called to the 100 block of Martindale Boulevard near the Dashmesh Cultural Centre around 5:40 a.m. for a serious injury collision. Staff Sgt. Andy Woodward of the Calgary Police Traffic Unit said investigators believe the victim was lying on a sidewalk near a parking lot entrance when a driver ran over him. The driver, a man in his 50s, was attempting to enter the lot but found the gate locked, so he reversed, running over the pedestrian a second time.
Woodward said the driver did not see the victim because it was dark and the pedestrian was wearing dark clothing. "The driver drove over him and then the gate was locked or shut, so he reversed back over him thinking it was just a traffic calming and not a person," Woodward told reporters Monday afternoon. He repeated the driver's perspective, saying, "The driver didn't see the victim because it was dark and the victim was in dark clothing." The driver then used a different entrance to park his vehicle, at which point bystanders informed him he had struck a person. Police said the driver remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.
The victim was transported to hospital in serious condition and was pronounced dead a short time later. Woodward said no further details about the victim will be released until next of kin have been notified. The death marks the ninth pedestrian killed in a vehicle incident in Calgary this year and the 32nd traffic fatality of 2026, according to police. Woodward noted the unusual nature of the event. "Normally, certainly with pedestrians, unfortunately, it's more of them crossing the road and that type of thing. So these are unusual events for sure," he said. The Dashmesh Cultural Centre said in a statement to Global News that it is "deeply saddened by the incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with the pedestrian involved and their loved ones." An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage of the area to contact the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
With files from CBC News, Global News and CityNews