6-year-old’s death prompts crosswalk review in St. Albert

Three days after a six-year-old boy was struck and killed by a school bus in St. Albert, RCMP officers have returned to the scene to continue their investigation into what happened.

Thomas Wedman, a grade two student at École Marie Poburan, was killed Friday. He was on his way to school when a right-turning school bus hit him as he stepped onto a painted crosswalk

Thomas’ father Jeff Wedman said his son fell under the tires and died instantly.

Some parents at École Marie Poburan say they have been raising concerns over that particular crosswalk for weeks.

"In the last year, [Thomas’ mother] and I have been having conversations about what we can do as a group of parents to make that intersection more safe, since nothing else is getting done," said Cindy de Brujin.

Wedman’s death has motivated the city to speed up the review process, said St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse

"It wakes us up during a time like this to really take a critical look. You wouldn't want this to happen, ever, to have to be your critical eye, but now that it’s happened, let's make sure we really take a critical eye-look at everything."

Crouse has ordered a review of all 25 school zones in the community in the hopes of avoiding similar future tragedies.

No charges have been laid. The ongoing RCMP investigation is expected to take weeks.

The school bus driver has been suspended while RCMP and the bus company conduct their own investigations into the incident.

A public memorial will be held for Thomas Wedman on Friday.