Halifax pedestrian seriously injured after she was struck by garbage truck

HALIFAX – A garbage truck struck a pedestrian in Halifax early Monday morning, sending her to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Police say that around 5:30 a.m. the truck struck the 34-year-old woman in the Clayton Park neighbourhood.

Halifax Regional Police said they were investigating, but did not immediately release further details about the collision or the status of the woman’s health. 

A spokesperson with the Halifax Regional Municipality said the vehicle involved was privately operated and not contracted by the municipality. 

Norm Collins, the founder of Crosswalk Safety Society of Nova Scotia, said the incident is deeply concerning, and represents another “scary” reminder of the potential dangers pedestrians face on Halifax streets.

“People are feeling sadness, concern for the individual struck and hospitalized. And concern for everyone else involved, her family, the first responders, the truck driver — I’m sure he or she didn’t wake up in the morning expecting to strike a pedestrian. It’s just so unfortunate on so many levels,” Collins said in an interview Monday.

Halifax spokesperson Jake Fulton said the municipality takes road safety very seriously, whether the vehicles involved are municipal or privately owned. 

The collision came only a few days after a near-miss involving a municipal vehicle.

Halifax officials said on Thursday they were conducting an internal review after dashcam video showed a yellow truck nearly backing into a pedestrian. 

Resident Sam Sepehri was driving to work that morning when he saw a “very close call.” Video from Sepehri’s dashcam shows the vehicle pulling into a driveway then quickly reversing as a pedestrian darts away to avoid being hit.

The municipality confirmed the truck in the video near the intersection of Oxford and Jennings streets belongs to the city, and said an internal review of the incident had been launched. 

However, the municipality said it would not release the findings of that review. 

“The municipality takes safety seriously and is committed to protecting our residents and employees,” Halifax spokesperson Jake Fulton said in an email Thursday. “The findings from this review, which are not disclosed publicly, will help inform any necessary adjustments to municipal policies and procedures.”

The municipality declined to elaborate.

Collins says the near-miss underscores the importance of improving training for municipal drivers to ensure they understand the importance of being aware on the road.

“But quite honestly, we should all be retested,” Collins said, adding that for many adults it’s been decades since they had to prove that they can safely drive. 

“Driving today, with all the new technology in vehicles out there and this and that, it’s quite different than it was say over fifty years ago when I first got my license.” 

Collins said he knows that such a policy would be unpopular, but argues protecting people should take precedent. 

“At the end of the day is it popularity that matters or safety?”

In an emailed statement, Fulton said council approved a road safety strategy in 2024, and aims to have zero serious injuries or fatalities on the road by 2038. 

He added that over the past year, the municipality has “made significant road safety improvements” which includes installing new crosswalks and upgrading others, adding new traffic calming measures and reducing speed limits in some areas.

“Municipal staff have also worked closely with police to enforce traffic laws and are working to expand public education efforts in 2026, pending budget approval,” Fulton said. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2025.