Mother, child struck and killed
Questions raised about lack of crosswalk on Warden Ave. strip
Afamily dinner ended in tragedy on Wednesday night when a 5-year-old girl and her mother were struck and killed by vehicles on Warden Ave.
The 34-year-old woman and her daughter died after being hit just before 9:30 p.m. after eating at Silver Spoon restaurant.
The two were taken to hospital in life-threatening condition, and they were later pronounced dead.
Local restaurateur Ronald Tyrell said seeing the lifeless bodies of the two on the road brought back memories of his son, 7, who died after being hit by a car in Jamaica. He would have been 29 years old this year.
Tyrell, whose restaurant is in the same plaza as Silver Spoon, said he could see the father pacing back and forth between the two bodies with his 2-year-old child.
“I saw the guy walking with the kid,” he said. “He was walking back and forth seeming a bit confused.”
Police said it was a family of four that crossed Warden Ave. and Continental Pl. near Ellesmere Rd. The father and another child, 2, crossed the street safely while the mother and daughter were struck.
The two were first hit by a car that remained at the scene. The mother was then struck by a second vehicle in the southbound lane and the driver fled, said Toronto Police Const. Joe McDougall.
Despite the two nearest traffic lights being roughly a four-minute walk away, there was no crosswalk in the area where the family crossed.
“I think it’s probably one of the most dangerous, if not the most dangerous road in Scarborough,” said Tyrell, who has been operating My Father’s Place on Warden Ave. for six years.
“People who come to buy lunch here are always complaining about the danger.”
On Thursday afternoon, numerous pedestrians continued to run across the busy street filled with trucks and cars to catch buses on both sides of the road. Many seemed oblivious to the devastating scene that had unfolded on Wednesday night.
Julie Deng ran hurriedly across the road to get to the bus stop on the other side. She said she was shocked at how far the street lights were, adding that it was even stranger that there was no sign to tell vehicles to be cautious.
“There are bus stops on either side, but no crosswalk, it seems very dangerous,” she said Thursday afternoon.
Seven months ago, a resident called the City of Toronto to complain about the intersection, said Toronto councillor Norm Kelly, who acknowledged that Warden Ave. is one of the busiest streets in Scarborough.
He said the resident called his office in February asking for a crosswalk. Kelly was told by the city’s transportation staff that the spot wasn’t a good fit for a crosswalk, so instead, he asked for a report to assess whether or not a traffic light might be necessary.
Such reports usually take eight or nine months, he added.
“Today, as a result of the tragedy, we contacted staff to see where that report was,” he said. “I think it’s going to be coming out shortly.”
Kelly said accidents happen even when there are crosswalks and traffic lights, adding that he wants to wait until he sees the staff report before making any decisions, despite the emotions surrounding the situation.
“Any solution has to be well-thought and sensitive,” he said. “It’s a young family, it’s tragic and it’s devastating.”
Kelly said he isn’t sure yet if the family lived in his ward, but that he’s trying to get in touch with them.
Police are still looking for the vehicle that fled the scene. It is described as a 2006 to 2011 black Honda Civic.