School offers grief counselling for students, staff after girl’s fatality
Dozens of toys mark the spot where a six-year-old girl was struck and killed by a CTrain in the southwest on Monday.
Monika Gajda, who grew up in the area, left a stuffed unicorn at the memorial just a few feet away from the train crossing at 162 Avenue and Shawville Rise S.E.
An emotional Gajda said it was “absolutely heartbreaking” to learn about the young girl’s death.
Gajda said her friend is neighbours with the girl’s parents, adding the family is struggling to come to grips with their daughter’s death.
“She told me (family members) are just in complete shock, obviously, and the mom feels terrible,” she said. “But you can’t blame anybody, right? It wasn’t the train’s fault.”
A GoFundMe page launched by a friend to help the family with funeral costs identifies the girl as Efua Isabella Ogbeide. She is survived by her father Jeff, mother Carol and two younger siblings.
Family friend Timothy Afolayan said Efua wandered off from the Ogbeide’s home before being struck by train.
“Efua means light and like her name, she brightened and provided light to everyone who knew her,” Afolayan wrote on GoFundMe.
“Our financial support will enable the family … to take care of her funeral expenses, take time off to focus on grieving, and to celebrate the life of their daughter.”
Calgary police are continuing their investigation into how the girl was killed. Contrary to speculation on Monday, police said the girl was not on her way to school.
“Members from the CPS Traffic Reconstruction Unit continue to investigate the circumstances that led to the collision, which can take some time,” police said in a statement Tuesday.
Officials with the Calgary Catholic School District confirmed the girl attended St. Jude, an elementary school in the southwest neighbourhood of Woodbine, about 10 kilometres from the scene of the accident.
“A letter was sent home to families,” Joanna French, a spokeswoman for the school district, said Tuesday. “We would just let them know of an incident that took place and to keep the family in their thoughts and prayers.”
The letter states, in part: “Children will have varied reactions to death, and I encourage you to openly discuss their feelings and respond to any questions or concerns they may have.”
French wouldn’t say what grade the girl was in for privacy reasons.
She said members of the district’s critical incident response team were sent to the school to provide counselling for any students or staff struggling with what happened.
“We’re offering our support,” she said.
The Woodcreek Community Association posted a statement to Facebook, mourning the girl’s death. “This will be a tough time for our littlest community members,” the association said.
Police were called just before 8 a.m. to the intersection of 162nd Avenue and Shawville Rise S.E. where the young girl was struck by the train.
Police said the girl was crossing the tracks from west to east, before “the arms came down and bells rang and it caused her to panic,” Sgt. Chris Agren said, adding the girl panicked and doubled back into the path of the train.
The girl was rushed to hospital in an ambulance accompanied by a police escort, but the life-saving efforts ended in vain.