Montreal doctor calls for change after son hit by car near west-end school

A mother and doctor in Montreal’s west end is raising concerns about an intersection she says is dangerous after her teenage son was struck by a car earlier this month.

Dr. Samara Zavalkoff, an intensive care unit physician at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, says the incident could have been worse and it was preventable.

“It’s very complicated as an area and it starts back a couple of blocks away with the train tracks,” she said.

Her son Charlie Shein was using the crosswalk located at Westminster Avenue South and Ainslie Road in Montreal West when he was hit. There is a stop sign and he believes the driver didn’t see him because of the sun.

“I went flying back and I landed on my lower back,” Shein said.

Trending Now

Residents have complained for years about the Westminster stretch, where there are a number of intersections. There is a commuter-rail crossing and lots of traffic: cars, cyclists and pedestrians.

One town official acknowledges there is a problem and she says they are considering safety measures.

Watch the video above for the full story.

— with files from Global’s Kalina Laframboise