Abbotsford police released a chilling video Tuesday that shows an elderly pedestrian being struck by a car while in a crosswalk and catapulted 50 feet down the road.

The film, caught on a home security camera, depicts a real life collision that took place as a 64-year-old man was walking across Hillcrest Avenue at Parkview Street on Dec. 10, said Const. Ian MacDonald.

The distracted female driver of the vehicle failed to see the pedestrian because she was looking into her purse, said MacDonald.

The police released the video with the crash victim's permission to remind motorists of the potential consequences of distracted driving.

The senior struck survived the incident but suffered fractures to his legs and serious head injuries after his upper body impacted the car's windshield, said MacDonald.

The man is lucky to be alive, as are a mother and three kids who were just steps behind the victim in the crosswalk, he added.

"You can see the mom with a couple of toddlers and a baby in a stroller just three feet behind scrambling to get across the road [after the crash], " said MacDonald.

"We could have had five fatals in that crosswalk."

The video may be "disturbing" to some viewers, conceded MacDonald, but the department is hoping it will be a valuable educational tool, generate discussion and change dangerous driving behaviours.

"We do offer viewers a warning and it doesn't contain any gore," he said.

"But I'll guarantee, you'll watch it more than once."

- To watch the distracted driver video visit http://youtu.be/XPLkrlSkKEE or to see it in Punjabi see http://youtu.be/4DdgZnyte7g