Surrey teen dies, 2 friends hurt after being hit by motorcycle
Teenage girls were students at nearby Princess Margaret Secondary School
A teenage girl is dead and two others have been seriously injured, along with the rider of a motorcycle, following a traffic accident just before noon today in Surrey, B.C.
RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet said the motorcyclist was travelling southbound on 128 Street near 68 Avenue at 11:30 a.m. PT when he struck the three teenage girls as they were crossing the street.
School officials have confirmed the three girls were students at nearby Princess Margaret Secondary School.
"It's obviously a terrible tragedy," says Doug Strachan, a spokesperson for the Surrey School District.
"Our focus is now on the families, as well as the students and staff in the school " he said, adding the school will bring in counsellors for the students tomorrow.
Nearby residents told CBC News the area is a danger zone and that people in the area don't feel comfortable walking along the road, since there is no crosswalk along that particular stretch of 128 Street.
As a result students often jaywalk to the nearby cafes, says Mehmood Chaudhry
“You can’t see because of the bushes,” he says.
Chaudhry added cars are often going faster than the posted speed.
The City of Surrey says in 2010 Princess Margaret Secondary School recommended a crosswalk between 68 Avenue and 72 Avenue, after all schools in Surrey were asked by the city to assess the safety of surrounding roads.
But after the city did its own assessment, and based on the volume of traffic and number of pedestrians, a crosswalk was not deemed necessary.
The city says that decision will likely be revisited.