Special Report: Walkable Streets Victim Blaming By Police After Pedestrian Struck on Sidewalk The police can't fix what ails Hamilton's streets, but they can stop adding insult to injury - literally - by conceiving and describing collisions in language that blames the pedestrian for daring to get in the way of a car. By Ryan McGreal

Published November 25, 2015

This article has been updated.

The latest dispatch from the You Can't Make This Stuff Up files comes from Hamilton Police Service after a pedestrian was struck by a car driver at the corner of York Boulevard and Hess Street and rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.



Satellite view: York Boulevard and Hess Street (Image Credit: Google Maps)

According to Hamilton Police, the pedestrian, a 62-year-old man, was heading west on the south sidewalk of York Boulevard shortly before 4:00 PM when the driver, a 22-year-old man, drove into the pedestrian while exiting a parking lot.

Or as Hamilton Police decided to describe it in their news release, the pedestrian "walked into the path of the car."

Let's just pause here for a moment. This is a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk, not crossing the street or darting out into a vehicle lane.

Yet the police - the people whose job it is to enforce the law and protect people from harm - are so consumed by a worldview that sees out from a car windshield that they describe this in stark, explicit terms of the pedestrian getting in the driver's way.

This victim-blaming is appalling and unacceptable. Hamilton is already the second most dangerous city in Ontario for pedestrians, thanks in significant part to a road network designed to prioritize fast traffic over walkability, and older pedestrians are at disproportionately high risk of getting struck and injured.

The police can't fix what ails Hamilton's streets, but they can stop adding insult to injury - literally - by conceiving and describing collisions in language that blames the pedestrian for daring to get in the way of a car.

This issue demands a response from the Hamilton Police Service and from City Council. The police need to apologize for victim blaming and Council needs to commit much more forcefully to creating a street network that is safe, inclusive and accessible for all road users, not just people protected by 1,800 kilograms of motorized steel.

Update: Constable Steve Welton quickly addressed this issue on Twitter with a pretty classy response:

Hi @RyanMcGreal sharing info I received with community. A Very tragic event. People who know me know that's not intent to blame #CstWelton — Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) November 25, 2015

Challenging for me to convey that in print. Will consider how it makes an impact. Sorry if I offended. Thx4feedback @RyanMcGreal #CstWelton — Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) November 25, 2015

Everyday in #policing I have opportunities to improve & learn. What I know 100% is #HamOnt cares. Appreciate everyone's feedback #CstWelton — Hamilton Police (@HamiltonPolice) November 25, 2015

Thanks to Constable Welton and Hamilton Police for their willingness to engage on this issue.

Ryan McGreal, the editor of Raise the Hammer, lives in Hamilton with his family and works as a programmer, writer and consultant. Ryan volunteers with Hamilton Light Rail, a citizen group dedicated to bringing light rail transit to Hamilton. Ryan wrote a city affairs column in Hamilton Magazine, and several of his articles have been published in the Hamilton Spectator. His articles have also been published in The Walrus, HuffPost and Behind the Numbers. He maintains a personal website, has been known to share passing thoughts on Twitter and Facebook, and posts the occasional cat photo on Instagram.

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