It is around this time of year where we all start to hear “What is actually closed downtown Ottawa on Canada Day?” and “Why are the roads in Ottawa closed on Canada Day?”. We hear this from our friends, family, clients and everyone that seems to feel inconvenienced by the road closures. It is a fair thing to wonder.

For most people the closures are a logistics puzzle. For us, Ottawa personal injury lawyers who spend our working lives dealing with the aftermath of collisions and falls, they are also a reminder that July 1 changes the way our city moves, and that changes where people get hurt.

Ottawa throws one of the largest birthday parties in the country. This year marks the 159th Canada Day, with preparations already well underway at LeBreton Flats and across the core.

Canada Day Road Closures in Downtown Ottawa

The City of Ottawa closes a large chunk of the downtown core from the early morning of July 1 until the small hours of July 2.

OC Transpo typically runs free service all day on the O-Train and buses, with Pimisi Station being the closest stop to the LeBreton Flats festivities.

If you are heading downtown, leaving the car at home is genuinely the safest call, and we would say that even if we were not the people who get the phone call when something goes wrong.

Why Do Personal Injury Lawyers Care About Road Closures?

There are many reasons why personal injury lawyers care about road closures, especially during holidays like Canada Day. Here are some of them:

• tens of thousands of pedestrians flowing through intersections that were never built for that volume.
• detours funnelling unfamiliar drivers onto quiet residential side streets.
• temporary fencing, cables and barricades.
• a fair number of people who have had a drink or two and are walking, cycling, or, we hope not, driving home late.

In our experience, the days when a city’s normal traffic patterns get scrambled are exactly the days when avoidable injuries spike.

Pedestrian Safety During Canada Day Celebrations

Pedestrians deserve a particular mention.

When normal driveways change to be pedestrian zones, , it is easy to assume every nearby street is equally car-free. It is not.

The blocks just outside the closure boundary often see more traffic than usual, because drivers are hunting for a way around.

This is why, on days like this, it is important for pedestrians to:

• Cross at marked crossings
• make eye contact with drivers
• not assume a stopped car has actually seen you.

If you are the driver caught in a detour, slow right down on those side streets. Children dart out, and so do adults staring at their phones trying to find the next open road.

Cyclists and E-Scooters Face Added Risks

Cyclists and e-scooter riders face their own version of this.

The multi-use pathways along the Ottawa river and Ottawa canal get packed on July 1, and a crowded path is a common place for a serious fall or collision.

We covered navigating Ottawa is trails, canal and parks safely in our piece on staying safe in Ottawa this summer, and most of that advice applies double on Canada Day.

What Should You Do If You’re Injured on Canada Day?

If the worst does happen, a vehicle strikes you in a crosswalk, a cyclist clips you on a pathway, or you are hurt in a crash on one of those detour routes, what you do in the first hour matters.

• Get medical attention even if you feel fine; adrenaline masks a lot, and soft-tissue and head injuries often announce themselves a day or two later.
• If police or paramedics attend, make sure your version of events makes it onto the record.
• Photograph the scene, the location and any contributing conditions while they still exist, because a closed street looks completely different on July 2.
• Get the names of any witnesses, because in a crowd they scatter fast.

Know Your Legal Options After an Injury

None of this is meant to dampen the celebration.

Canada Day in Ottawa is one of the best things about living here, and the overwhelming majority of people have a wonderful, uneventful day.

But our job gives us a slightly different vantage point, and from where we sit, a little extra caution on the one day the whole city rearranges itself is well worth it.

If you or a family member is injured this Canada Day and someone else is carelessness played a part, it is worth understanding your options, our note on when to contact a personal injury lawyer is a good place to start.

Enjoy the fireworks. Get home safe.