Following a hit-and-run that left a young individual in critical condition, students are speaking out about their experiences walking near campus.
Announced in a release from the Kingston police, a 19-year-old pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run on Johnson St. near Albert St. on Nov. 7 at around 9 p.m. The victim was left in “critical condition” and transported to Kingston General Hospital following the incident, with the release adding that debris left at the scene suggested the driver was in a white Toyota Tundra.
“Thanks to a member of the community who saw the Kingston Police media release, the suspect vehicle in relation to this incident was recovered on November 10th, 2025. The vehicle was located abandoned along the side of a country road immediately off Perth Road in the area of Bedford Mills,” the police wrote in an updated statement to The Journal on Nov. 11.
“The victim suffered major injuries, internal and otherwise. Although their condition has stabilized, they have endured surgeries and will continue to be hospitalized,” the Kingston Police added.
The incident quickly prompted a community response, with multiple news outlets reporting on the incident, along with the AMS and its affiliated Instagram accounts also making several story posts.
“Our thoughts are with everyone who witnessed or was affected by the incident. When something like this occurs near campus, students turn to their student government to confirm what happened and to share safety information quickly,” AMS President Jana Amer wrote in a statement to The Journal.
Residents in the area also shared their perspectives with The Journal, explaining their thoughts on the safety of the road itself.
“It’s a pretty fast-paced road we live on here, and a lot of students, you see all the time, walk across the road while there are cars coming,” Ben Miller, ArtSci ’27 said. “It’s unfortunate, and not something that I necessarily saw happening, but it’s not something that I don’t understand happening here, given the nature of the road.”
This feeling was shared by other students, who added that this wasn’t something they saw coming, explaining the shock they felt when they heard about the incident.
“I heard about it the next day, and honestly, at first, I was a little taken aback that something like that can happen just any time of the day, right in front of our house,” local resident Morgan Say said. “Especially so near campus, too and on such a big road,” her roommate, Isabelle Ruus, ArtSci ’27, added.
They also spoke about a previous incident that they feel speaks to the overall safety of the road, with multiple residents agreeing that, despite the speed limit being 50 km/h, most drivers far exceed that.
“Even last week, there was an Uber driver that came the wrong way—this [Johnson St.] is a one-way street, but I saw a guy who came this [the opposite direction] way—and he just stopped there. I don’t think it’s [the street rules] are very regulated,” Ruus said.
Another resident, Aliya Willinger, ArtSci ’27, even described a near-miss she witnessed at Alfred St. and Johnson St. early Monday morning while walking to an 8:30 a.m. class. She said the roads were in rough condition, and as she and a friend stepped out of the house, they saw a girl begin to cross just as the light turned yellow.
“There was a girl walking with her hood on, and she started walking as the light had just turned yellow, but this car started flying through the intersection,” Willinger said. “[The driver was] was slamming on the horn but didn’t slow down and stopped inches away from her.”
Willinger explained that the girl, who had her hood up and her head down, seemed unaware of how close the car came.
She added that she feels some drivers act more aggressively in the area because it’s such a dense student neighbourhood where jaywalking is common.
“I feel like they know it’s such a student space,” she said, adding that she’s “noticed a lot of drivers being intentional about speeding up, maybe to send the message of, ‘don’t jaywalk,’” to students. In their statement, Kingston Police specified that the investigation is still ongoing.
Tags
crime, hit and run, Johnson Street
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Ted
It’s no wonder that something awful as this happened.
Aggressive drivers treat Johnson Street like it’s a racetrack.
To all you assholes who blaze down Johnson at 60km, the speed limit is 40.
Dino Luigi Vercotti
This is endemic of the City’s mad rush to cram as much population density into the core as possible. I lay the blame on the Mayor and his backroom deals with developers. Queen’s is not without blame either bloating enrollment in lockstep with the Mayor’s plans. World class education is about small class sizes, not real-estate. We used to know that here, now we get terrible ranking and traffic fatalities. But a handful of landlords who don’t even live here get their inflated rent checks, so everything is fine.
Bob Harper
Yes, drivers need to obey the speed limit. However, pedestrians have an obligation to themselves and drivers by paying attention. Drove down Division today and it is amazing how many “students” have their heads buried in their phones and then step blindly onto the road. Cars can’t stop that quickly. So, yes – drivers slow down and pedestrians be aware of your surroundings.