A 70-year-old woman has died after she was struck by a dump truck in Toronto's west end.

The woman, who has been identified as Wanda Siembida , was struck shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Siembida was crossing Park Lawn Road just north of Lake Shore Boulevard West at the time, approximately 30 metres north of a crosswalk.

Police said witnesses reported that the light changed while the pedestrian walked, and traffic began to head toward her. The pedestrian began to run to the other side, but fell down in the middle of the road.

Because she was on the ground, and the approaching dump truck driver was so high up, police said the driver may not have seen her until it was too late.

"She was dragged from quite a distance to the mouth of the intersection," Toronto Police Const. Hugh Smith said.

Smith added that the woman's death marks the 26th pedestrian fatality this year. This time last year, there had been 15 fatalities.

Siembida, a mother of three, was supposed to celebrate her 71st birthday on Friday.

 With a report from Tamara Cherry.