Police now searching for Dodge pickup in hit and run that killed man and his dog

Hamilton police have updated the description of the vehicle they're searching for in connection with a hit and run they say killed a 70-year-old man and his dog.

Investigators initially said they were looking for a white Chevrolet vehicle, but in a media release Tuesday afternoon changed that to a white 2008-2011 Dodge Dakota pickup truck.

The man was walking his dog and crossing Lawrence Road near Cochrane Road around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday when they were hit, according to police.

Officers found the man and his pet on the ground.

The victim was seriously injured and was taken to Hamilton General Hospital, but police say he died shortly after arriving. The three-year-old dog died of its injuries at the scene.

The collision reconstruction unit is continuing to investigate.

Older citizens vulnerable

The man killed in Sunday's crash is among several other pedestirans to die on Hamilton's roads in the past year. 

• In January, a 71-year-old man died after being hit by a school bus in December.
• In October, an 86-year-old woman died after being hit by an SUV in Stoney Creek.
• Just days earlier, a 65-year-old using a mobility scooter was killed by a dump truck near the Hamilton General Hospital.
• In January 2021, an 81-year-old man  was hit and killed while attempting to cross Main Street East "without the right of way," near Tisdale Street South.

The City of Hamilton's 2020 collision report says there were four pedestrians killed that year, out of 192 collisions between vehicles and people on foot.

The total number of collisions was down 21.7 per cent from 2019, a reduction that may be related to the stay-at-home orders issued that year, which resulted in fewer collisions overall. 

The report says "pedestrians and cyclist collisions often result in injury or fatality" and that "in 25.8 per cent of pedestrian collisions at midblocks (non-intersection locations), pedestrians were walking on road shoulders or sidewalks. This observation can potentially be used to add or improve sidewalks."

The report also said pedestrians crossing where there is no crosswalk is a significant factor in collisions.

City looking at changes

More crosswalks, bike lanes and safety buffers between traffic and pedestrians appear to be in Hamilton's future, with new street templates currently being developed by the city's planning department meant to "shift away from traditional design that prioritizes the movement of motor vehicles," states the city's website.

Set to come before council in the spring, the city's Complete, Livable, Better (CLB) Streets Design Manual will provide guidelines that "encourage designs that better balance considerations for the different transportation modes that share streets [and] focus on enhancing road safety."

It mentions design features including speed management, enhanced crossings and making space for active transportation, adding, "The application of an 'all ages and abilities lens' is also an important component of CLB Streets."

Hamiltonians can provide input on the draft designs until Feb. 18.