ManitobaA Winnipeg woman charged in a collision last year that sent a legally blind man, 75, to hospital where he got pneumonia and died, has been fined $400 after pleading guilty to careless driving.Joseph Fortier was legally blind and used a walker to get around, court heardCaitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News · Posted: Sep 12, 2025 6:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoJoseph Fortier, 75, was crossing Corydon Avenue at Lilac Street around 9 a.m. on Oct. 3, 2024, when he was hit by a woman driving her two young children to daycare, a Winnipeg court heard Friday afternoon. (CBC)A Winnipeg woman charged in a collision last year that sent a legally blind man, 75, to hospital where he got pneumonia and died, has been fined $400 after pleading guilty to careless driving.Joseph Fortier, who used a cane to get around, was crossing Corydon Avenue at Lilac Street around 9 a.m. on Oct. 3, 2024, when he was hit by a woman driving her two young children to daycare, a Winnipeg court heard Friday afternoon.Fortier was taken to hospital in unstable condition, where he underwent surgery for injuries that included a fractured pelvis. He was taken to the intensive care unit in stable but critical condition, and died just over a week later after contracting pneumonia.While Fortier’s injuries were “not insignificant,” an autopsy determined several factors contributed to his death, with pneumonia likely the largest contributor, Crown attorney Jenna Robinson told provincial court Judge Robert Heinrichs.”Unfortunately, there was no next of kin identified. There was only a friend,” Robinson said.Court heard the driver told police she didn’t see the man crossing the street as she turned left that morning because the sun was in her eyes. A civilian witness said it looked like she was travelling between 15 and 30 km/h at the time of the collision, Robinson said. The woman had a previous entry on her driving record for using a hand-operated device a few months earlier, the prosecutor said. Court heard there was no next of kind to be notified about Fortier’s death. (Obituary/Winnipeg Free Press)Defence lawyer Josh Weinstein said his client, who is 44, is “genuinely remorseful” for the accident, and noted she took accountability and pleaded guilty early. “This is something that has deeply affected her, and [she] recognizes the impact, obviously, that it had on this victim,” Weinstein said, adding when the woman realized she hit someone, she stopped immediately and waited at the scene.”This isn’t an incident where [she] is driving recklessly or doing things with total disregard for the law.”The woman, who appeared in court Friday, declined to speak when given the opportunity.The fine imposed by Heinrichs was at the top end of a $300 to $400 range jointly recommended by Crown and defence lawyers for the offence under Manitoba’s Highway Traffic Act.ABOUT THE AUTHORCaitlyn Gowriluk has been writing for CBC Manitoba since 2019. Her work has also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, and in 2021 she was part of an award-winning team recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association for its breaking news coverage of COVID-19 vaccines. Get in touch with her at caitlyn.gowriluk@cbc.ca.Follow Caitlyn Gowriluk on X
Woman fined $400 for Winnipeg collision that sent pedestrian, 75, to hospital, where he died
