MULTIPLE- VICTIM ACCIDENT AT MARKET SQUARE PROMPTS MEETING BETWEEN SJDC & POLICE WITH A VIEW TO RELOCATING VENDORS

The St. John’s Development Corporation (SJDC) will be meeting with the Police in order to ensure there is no recurrence of last Wednesday’s accident at the Market Square.
 
Nine people reportedly were injured and taken to the hospital for treatment after a vehicle jumped the sidewalk and ploughed into them. The van hit several stalls, causing produce to be strewn all over the roadway.

Saiid Greene, the Director of City and Urban Renewal at SJDC, says the situation, which could have been worse, is one of concern for the Corporation.
 

For some time, Greene says, the Corporation has been contemplating the relocation of vendors who operate along Market Street and at other locations.
 
He says that Wednesday’s accident proves how dangerous it is for vendors to ply their trade at the side of a road.
 
Therefore, Greene says that whatever recommendations the Police make, they will have to be applied.
 
The Director says that while the Corporation does not wish to displace anyone, or plunge them into hardship in this COVID-19 era, alternative locations for placing these vendors will be considered.

In last week’s accident, reports allege that the driver suffered a medical emergency, causing him to accelerate after he drove out of the Fisheries Complex.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, video footage of another accident went into wide circulation. The undated video shows a pedestrian being slammed between two vehicles only yards away from Wednesday’s incident.

The female victim manages to hobble a few feet away from the point of contact before collapsing onto the road. Unconfirmed reports say she suffered a broken hip.

The legal status of the driver and passenger reportedly are in question.