Winnipegger calling on City after witnessing senior fall on poorly cleared snow

A Winnipeg man is calling for better sidewalk clearing from the City of Winnipeg, after he caught a senior, with a walker, attempting to cross Arlington and Burrows slip and fall onto her back. 

Eugene Guevarra says it happened the night of December 23rd, as he approached a stop sign on his way home from work. His dash cam was recording.

“I was hoping she would just go pass by and just turn right, and then it happened suddenly that she slipped, and I think she hurt her back and probably her head as well,” Guevarra explained.

Guevarra quickly jumped out of his car and ran to the woman. He asked if she needed help, and luckily, she was okay.

“It was just an instinct, I saw her, and she was already on a cane, and I know that she’s old and she’s braving the cold weather already, and it’s just me helping her right away just to get up,” said Guevarra.

Guevarra posted the video on social media, calling on the City of Winnipeg to improve snow clearing, especially along pathways.

“Sometimes you see people walking  on a walkway, but they can’t because there’s a snowbank on the corner, and they have to go access the roads where cars are going, and sometimes cars can’t stop right away [when they see them].”

CityNews reached out to the city, which confirmed that the sidewalk at Burrows and Arlington was originally cleared on December 21st. They say it looks like a loader dumped snow subsequent to this clearing. They are investigating and will follow up with the operators responsible.

“If you clean a sidewalk, it [should] be cleaned properly. It’s not something you leave the work and then go back to it afterwards, accidents can happen any time, and we don’t know when it can happen,” said Guevarra.