Advocates calling for lower speeds on Henderson Highway following fatal pedestrian crash

Henderson Highway at Neil Avenue following a fatal collision involving a pedestrian on April 19, 2026. (Midnight Response/Facebook)

There are growing concerns about the safety of pedestrians on Winnipeg streets after a 32-year-old man was hit and killed Sunday on Henderson Highway at a lighted crosswalk.

Gabe Beardy was walking in the intersection of Henderson Highway and Neil Avenue around 5:20 a.m. when he was struck by a northbound vehicle.

Police said the driver called 911 and remained on scene. Beardy was taken to the Health Sciences Centre but died from his injuries.

He is now being remembered as a devoted father of four.

“Well, the family is devastated. It’s such a tragedy to lose a loved one so young in his prime,” said Hilary Beardy, who is a spokesperson for the family.

“He loved to joke around. He was funny, he made friends wherever he went. And especially with family, he was always calling and checking in on his family members.”

Advocates are now calling for a reduced speed limit on this stretch of road, saying 60 kilometres per hour is too fast.

Linda van de Laar, an advocate for pedestrian safety, said statistics show speed affects how people survive collisions.

“A low-cost solution to safer streets would be a lower speed limit here and lower speed decreases the severity of incidents,” said van de Laar.

Winnipeg police say investigators have attended nine motor vehicle versus pedestrian collisions in 2026, three of which have been fatal.

Coun. Emma Durand-Wood (East Kildonan) said residents have been wanting the speed to be reduced for decades and she agrees it’s an issue.

“Is 60 the appropriate speed for Henderson? We’ll see. Like we need to follow the science on this, and I think that’s something if we know that most collisions in the city are happening on these major streets, then that’s a conversation that we need to have,” said Durand-Wood.

Beardy’s family is planning to hold a vigil at the intersection on Friday.