Woman dead after shock accident in Sydney’s inner west

A woman has tragically died after a young father and van driver accidental struck her with his vehicle in Sydney’s inner west.

This is the moment a young father and van driver is told he has just accidentally killed someone.

In harrowing scenes, a dozen bystanders and local shop keepers attempted to give CPR to a young woman at the busy Leichhardt Market Place shopping centre intersection in Sydney’s inner west after she was struck by a workers’ van.

But she was dead almost immediately before ambulances and police arrived at the Marion Street and Flood Street intersection scene about 10.30am.

The driver, making a delivery a short distance away was slumped against the wall in shock before police retrieved a chair from a nearby pub for him to collapse into.

In harrowing scenes, a dozen bystanders and local shop keepers attempted to give CPR to a young woman at the busy Leichhardt Market Place shopping centre intersection. Picture: Charles Miranda

Witnesses at the intersection said the female pedestrian was distracted with her phone and appeared to have run a red man pedestrian light before being struck by the turning van.

It was raining intermittently throughout the morning.

“She had a phone and just thought she could beat the red man light,” one woman shopper at the intersection said. “The poor driver was in shock. It is just very sad and upsetting, she was a young woman, wearing active wear, and just ran across the red light.”

Shopper Sam Lazzaro rushed into the shopping centre to retrieve a blanket for the struck woman.

“I was crossing the lights as the lady from the pub was trying CPR so I knew it was serious, I could see all the blood on the road, coming out of her head, I knew then … I crossed to the hearing centre and the girls had a blanket to give to them, there was a doctor then from the nearby medical centre doing CPR. I went over and said here is a blanket to keep her warm and he (doctor) said ‘nah I think it is too late’. They took the blanket to cover her, give a shield for her. It was very sad. She looked like a young woman, maybe in her 30s. She had those ear phones in her ears. It was just dreadful, I’m going home now to have a couple of scotches.”

A young father and van driver was told he had just accidentally killed someone. Picture: Charles Miranda

A NSW Ambulance Inspector Karl Cronan confirmed the woman died at the scene despite valiant attempts from bystanders.

“It was a very sombre scene for our paramedics and bystanders here this morning,” he said.

“The bystanders who attempted to assist the patient before we arrived on scene are to be highly commended, it was a heartbreaking scene.

“As the state begins to open up this will mean more vehicles and pedestrians on and around the roads, we have to look out for each other, especially in these difficult weather conditions.”

A man from the driver’s workplace said it was a terrible accident. They described the driver as in shock, a young family man, much loved by his employers with an exemplary driving record.