Girl pinned between vehicles at school mourned
TORONTO — Grief counsellors were at a north Toronto school Tuesday to help students and staff cope with the news that a five-year-old girl had died after being pinned between two SUVs.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board said the girl was walking with her father to their car after school on Monday when the incident took place just before 3:30 p.m. EST.
Const. Clint Stibbe said Tuesday that an SUV with no one inside rolled forward and pinned the girl against her father’s Mercedes-Benz SUV.
The child was taken to a hospital, where she died of her injuries.
The girl’s 42-year-old father was also struck by the rolling vehicle and was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
“I haven’t got any stats … in relation to how often we see a vehicle moving on its own,” Stibbe said.
The police traffic services division said the investigation is ongoing. No charges have been laid.
Toys and flowers accumulated in a snowbank near St. Raphael Catholic School on Tuesday morning.
Students and staff were also planning to create a memorial table for the girl at the school, the board said.
“Tragedies such as this can be difficult for anyone to accept or understand, particularly for young people,” the school board said in a statement.
“A team of counsellors, including a social worker, psychologist and members of our chaplaincy and religion team, will be on hand to support the school community today.”
The board said support workers will be on hand as long as needed.