A Toronto grandmother is dead following a hit-and-run accident at Jane Street and Wilson Avenue, one in which the driver may not have even known he hit someone.
Sgt. Tim Burrows told ctvtoronto.ca on Tuesday that police got the call at 11:22 a.m.
Bernice Beale, the 88-year-old victim, had been standing at the corner of the intersection when an east-bound tractor-trailer unit turned southbound on Jane Street from Wilson.
Burrows said the trailer struck the woman and the rear wheels ran over her. Paramedics pronounced Beale dead at the scene.
To add to the tragedy, the woman's daughter heard the sirens and came to the scene to find her mother dead.
"I called her on my cell and I said, 'Call me as soon as you get home'," Carolyn Beale told reporters.
She arrived to see her mother's shoe lying on the road and find the paramedics working to revive Bernice. Then, "after about five minutes, one of them came over and said, 'I'm so sorry. I've come to give you the bad news -- she's gone'," Carolyn said through tears.
"She was an independent woman, very strong-willed, and she's going to be very much missed," said Cheryle Migliaccio, a granddaughter.
Family and friends said Bernice, who lived in an apartment building very near the accident scene, used a walker to get around and loved to visit area shops. Neighbourhood pastor Pauline Scott described the deceased woman as "very committed, very helpful. She's always very busy and wants to do more. That's just the kind of person she was."
Witnesses have been helpful. The trailer unit had the letters "XTRA" on it, Burrows said.
Police have been in touch with the company to see what truck might have been in the collision area, he said, adding it's possible that the driver didn't even know his trailer struck someone.
The driver is asked to call traffic services at 416-808-1900.
With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman
