Thunder Bay Police Urge SUV Driver to Turn Himself In in Fatal Pedestrian Collision

Thunder Bay police are urging the driver of an SUV that hit two pedestrians Monday afternoon, killing one and seriously injuring the other, to turn himself in.

The accident happened at about 3:20 p.m. near the intersection of Simpson Street and Northern Avenue

At a news conference Tuesday morning near the crime scene, police said the two pedestrians were walking north on the sidewalk on Simpson when they were hit from behind by the SUV, after it left the roadway and jumped the curb .

A 42-year-old man was killed and a 38-year-old woman suffered “life-changing injuries”, police said.

Insp. Ryan Gibson, who oversees the Thunder Bay Police Service’s primary response unit and traffic services, said surveillance video shows the SUV coming to a stop on Simpson Street, a short distance from where the collision occurred. The driver is then seen in the vehicle for a few minutes, before getting out and leaving the scene.

Video shows the driver entering the nearby Intercity Shopping Center.

Police have released the portion of the video that shows a man wearing glasses, a black T-shirt, a thin build and short hair entering the mall in hopes that it will help identify the suspect.

“I really hope that person has had that time … to think about the bad decisions they made,” Gibson said. “He has to turn himself in.

“He needs to get his lawyer on the phone, turn himself in or just come to Thunder Bay police station — turn yourself in,” Gibson said. “This is not going away.

“You might as well stand up for it and do the right thing after something terrible happens.”

The police are asking for the help of the public

Gibson said Tuesday morning he could not say whether the driver was disabled.

“We are interested in what we know and what we can prove now. These studies have not been done yet.

“This is just the beginning for us. There’s obviously a process involved, and we’ll move forward and we’ll see where the information takes us.”

The identities of the victims have not been released.

Part of Simpson Street was closed to the public after the collision while police investigated the scene. It has since reopened.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the police or Crime Stoppers.