Man’s body lies in heat for hours in Toronto parking lot, coroner reviews incident
The body of a 90-year-old man lay in a hot Toronto parking lot for hours after he was hit and k**led by a truck earlier this week, sparking outrage and questions about the body removal process.
The man was one of two people hit by a truck in a parking lot in the area of Silver Star Boulevard and Steeles Avenue East, east of Kennedy Road, on Tuesday – one of the hottest days of the year in Toronto.
Toronto police said officers responded to the scene around 12:28 a.m. after a 90-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman were crossing in a parking lot when they were struck by a speeding white Hino truck back.
The woman was taken to a trauma center in a life-threatening condition, while the man died instantly.
PKBNEWS reporter Sean O’Shea traveled to the scene to cover the incident and noticed that after a few hours the man’s body had not yet been removed and lay on the sidewalk under the hot sun.
The temperature in Toronto topped 30C on Tuesday and the Humidex topped 40.
O’Shea remained at the scene until 6.30pm – more than six hours after the collision – and the man’s body had not yet been removed.
By then the coroner was long gone.
It sparked outrage online, with social media users saying it was disrespectful and unacceptable.
PKBNEWS has contacted the Ontario Coroner’s Office regarding the incident.
“There are multiple investigative partners involved when a death occurs and it is incumbent on every step of an inquest to be completed and done properly,” said Stephanie Rea, matters manager at the coroner’s office.
“The Office of the Chief Coroner is making every effort to complete on-scene investigations in a timely manner, although certain factors may affect the timing of the transfer. We do a review to make sure the proper processes were followed.
It is not known exactly when the man’s body was finally removed from the scene.
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