The family of a 90-year-old woman who was killed while walking outside her retirement home is seeking change to improve pedestrian safety.
Isabel Evans is being remembered as an active, caring woman who was a valued member at Touchmark at Wedgewood, a seniors home in southwest Edmonton.
On July 13, Evans was on an afternoon walk inside the residence when she was hit and killed by a driver who was reversing out a parking spot.
“My mother was very healthy, strong, fit and intelligent, and it was a big shock for us,” daughter Gwen Erdmann said.
Mary Cunningham, 61, has been charged with careless driving and failure to back out safely.
Evans’ children believe the layout of the parking lot should also be improved.
“Drivers obviously have a role to play, carelessness and speeding, but design is also important,” David Evans said.
“[This is] an example of badly designed street architecture: there’s a sidewalk that crosses behind where all the cars are parked, and a person backing out of that area would back across where elderly people are crossing.”
Touchmark’s executive director, Leanne Guenheimer, said the property does have one continuous, circular sidewalk around the residence.
She said since Evans’ death, they’ve been encouraging all residents not to use the crosswalks.
“We have taken steps to remind people to follow the continuous sidewalk to ensure their safety,” she said.
Evans’ son believes the issue isn’t just at the retirement home, but throughout Edmonton.
“This whole city has a problem with drivers. Drivers speeding, badly designed crosswalks, where pedestrians come second, not first,” he said.
There were 26 pedestrian fatalities in 2017, a number he describes as astonishingly high.
Evans was a safety advocate
While Evans was living at Touchmark, she noticed there was no marked crosswalk between the residence and the shopping complex across the street.
“She fought the city to make sure they put in crosswalks and lights there,” Erdmann said.
Her children believe she likely would be advocating that the layout of the parking lot be changed.
“Part of her caring nature was making sure everyone was safe. So she would want to see changes made there,” Erdmann said.
“We want to be sure that no other resident would go through something like this, or any crosswalk, because we need to be sure we have safety measures in place at all crosswalks.”
Remembering Evans
Evans was born in London, England and was a social worker before marrying her husband in 1955. The newlyweds moved to Malawi, Africa when her husband found a job there.
“It was a really different world in those days. You’re almost sort of pioneering because you take a steam boat down Africa to South Africa and then you take the train up to middle of Africa,” David said.
The pair started their family there: Three boys and a girl.
Afterwards, they decided it was not a safe place to raise young children and eventually moved to a rural Saskatchewan community before coming to Edmonton.
Evans changed careers and became a teacher at L.Y. Carins School.
She is remembered for being an expert scrabble player who would organize game nights at the residence with her friends.
She also loved to garden and helped to create one at Touchmark.
Just a month before the incident, Evans celebrated her 90th birthday surrounded by her four great-grandchildren, 11 grandchildren and relatives from around the world.
“She said, ‘I just wish everybody had the opportunity to have this in their lives: To celebrate and have a party with everyone you love, and you get to hear all the good things they say about you,” Erdmann reminisced.
“What a blessing in disguise to have this big party for her.”
