UPDATE: ‘Avoid area’ on Hamilton Mountain: teenager struck by driver, is in ‘critical condition’

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Published January 11, 2023 at 6:05 pm

Upper Paradise Rd. and Stone Church Rd. (Google Street view)

(Update: The 15-year-old boy died as a result of his injuries. A 15-year-old boy who was driving the car that hit him has been arrested by the Hamilton Police.)

Preliminary reports, from the police chief himself, indicate that a teenager was struck by a motorist on Tuesday afternoon, resulting in a closure along a major roadway on Hamilton Mountain.

Real-time traffic tracking from Hamilton Police (HPS) said shortly after 3:30 p.m. that Upper Paradise Rd. is closed between Stone Church Rd. W. and Skyview Dr., and a follow-up tweet about 45 minutes later asked motorists to, “Please avoid area.” But Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen, amidst a budget presentation to the general issues committee meeting at city hall, said the teenage may have life-threatening injuries.

“We just had a teenager struck this afternoon,” Chief Bergen said. “There is hope for their recovery, but it’s not looking good.”

The social media post by HPS says, “One individual has been transported to hospital in critical condition. Investigation continues. No further information at this time.”

Police were to provide further information after 6 p.m., but reports have suggested that two sports-utility vehicles were involved in the collision.

Roadway safety has been a ranking social issue in Hamilton over the last two years. Bergen noted to the GIC that the city had 24 traffic deaths (pedestrians, motorists, passengers and cyclists) in 2022. That was double the 12 that occurred in 2021, which in itself was a 10-year high at the time.

Only hours before the collision, Ward 12 Coun. Craig Cassar warned of a possible safety hazard in a residential area of his ward in Ancaster. A nearly year-long road reconstruction project recently began in the Ancaster area.

“Our office is receiving numerous complaints about drivers using John Frederick Road, Lima Court and Greenbriar Road to get around the #RoadClosure due to construction on Southcote,” Cassar wrote on Twitter. “Reports indicate that there is increased speeding, volume, and aggressive driving.”

Many of the traffic deaths in 2022 came in the first four to five months of the year. That prompted the previous city council to pass a string of traffic calming measures, including a lane reduction on Main Street in the downtown. It will eventually be converted into a two-way street.

(Cover photo: Google Street view. This article is likely to be updated in the course of the news cycle.)

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