1 child dead, woman critically injured after 5 pedestrians struck in St. Thomas, Ont.

A child is dead and a woman is in hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries after they and three other pedestrians were struck by a pickup truck in downtown St. Thomas, Ont.

St. Thomas police responded to a crash at the intersection of Talbot Street and Caso Crossing just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, said police spokesperson Samantha Wakefield.

“A red pickup truck was travelling westbound on Talbot Street where the driver lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway and struck five pedestrians on the sidewalk,” she said. 

The pickup driver has been arrested and charged with impaired driving causing death, and impaired driving causing bodily harm. He is being held in police custody. 

The remaining three pedestrians were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Wakefield said. She would not disclose the names or ages of the victims pending family notifications.

“A fatal collision is always tragic, especially when it involves a child,” Wakefield said. “St. Thomas is a city of 43,000 people but a very tight-knit community, so it’s no doubt that this one is hitting very close to home for everyone this evening.” St. Thomas is located about 200 km southwest of Toronto. 

It’s not clear if the pedestrians who were struck were all part of the same group, Wakefield said. Intersections along Talbot Street have heavy pedestrian traffic, especially during the summer when the weather gets warmer. 

“All we know is that they were pedestrians, it was just before dinner. We are not aware if they were a family unit or if they were all individual pedestrians,” Wakefield said. 

The intersection will remain closed as police continue to investigate.