Girl hit by SUV in front of her home
Grade 6 student seriously injured in crosswalk collision on way to school
An Arbutus Middle School student has serious injuries after being struck by a vehicle while crossing at a crosswalk in front of her Saanich home on Wednesday morning.
Layla Bui was in the crosswalk at Ash Road and Torquay Drive, on her way to school, when she was struck by an eastbound Mercedes SUV about 8:15 a.m., Saanich police said. She was thrown through the air and landed in the path of a westbound sedan.
It’s unclear if she was struck by the second vehicle.
B.C. Ambulance paramedics and police arrived on the scene and the girl was taken to Victoria General Hospital.
The Grade 6 student was crossing in front of her home on Ash Road to get to a fellow student’s home for a ride to school.
“She was coming across the street to get a ride with us,” said Nadine Steinbach, whose daughter is in Grade 7. Steinbach was not home when the collision happened but her husband and daughter were. Her husband took their daughter to school but Steinbach was in touch with her teacher in case her daughter was too distraught to finish the day.
“That crosswalk is awful. I watch my daughter wait for 10 or 12 cars before someone will stop for her,” said Steinbach, who stood at her door in tears.
“I always tell [the kids]: ‘You need to make sure the cars stop before you go across the street,’ and this will reiterate how dangerous it can be.”
Layla’s grandfather, Andy Bui, was at the scene shortly after the collision. “It’s bad news for the family,” he said, and expressed hope that his granddaughter will recover. “This place is very very dangerous,” he told CHEK News, pointing at the crosswalk.
Steinbach said she’d like to
Steinbach said she’d like to see a roundabout installed at the intersection to slow down traffic.
“The speed of cars is ridiculous here sometimes,” she said.
Joan Johnston and her daughter Averil live in the area and agree that many cars travel over the 50 km/h limit.
“We often find that people are speeding here,” Averil Johnston said, with her mother adding that they’ll often yell at cars to slow down.
Joan Johnston said it can be difficult for eastbound cars to see the crosswalk as they crest over a hill. She said she feels heartbroken knowing that a young girl has been seriously injured. “I just feel sick about it.”
A critical incident response team was dispatched to Arbutus Middle School to provide support for students and teachers, said Greater Victoria School District spokeswoman Lisa McPhail.
A letter has been sent home to parents letting them know about the incident and how their children can receive counselling.
“It’s such a worrisome situation,” McPhail said. “It’s so unfortunate.”
The intersection was closed for hours as traffic analysts took measurements to determine how fast the vehicle was travelling. Both drivers are co-operating with the investigation and were taken to the Saanich police station to give statements, said Saanich police traffic analyst Sgt. Alan Gurzinski.
Police did not disclose the nature of the girl’s injuries other than to say she was seriously injured.
“Whenever any person gets hit by a car it’s potentially serious,” Gurzinski said. “And with traffic speeds on a road like this at 50 km/h, you’ve got a 50/50 chance of surviving.”
The District of Saanich was already considering safety improvements to the intersection after concerns were raised by the Gordon Head Residents Association.
The administrative traffic committee, which includes engineering staff and Saanich police, will meet in January to review the intersection.