St. Vital crosswalk where 8-year-old boy was killed given honorary name
Surafiel Tesfamariam was hit by truck while using St. Anne's crosswalk last year on his way to school
A St. Vital crosswalk where an eight-year-old was killed last year has been renamed to honour a boy who was loved not only by his family, but also by Winnipeg's tight-knit Eritrean community.
Two signs at the corner of Varennes Avenue and St. Anne's Road now mark the street with the honorary name Surafiel Way, in memory of Surafiel Musse Tesfamariam.
He was killed when he was hit by a pickup truck at the intersection in February 2018.
"It's a big recognition from the city and from the wider community," said Lambros Kyriakakos, a member of the city's Eritrean community board. "They really did not expect something like this to happen."
Surafiel was struck in a crosswalk while walking to École Varennes School down the street with his little brother and his mom, Adiam Weldeyohannes.
She told CBC News on Tuesday she's still mourning the loss of her boy.
"I'm [shocked]. I'm happy that they're doing … the sign but I'm [shocked]," she said, before asking Kyriakakos to speak on her behalf.
Remembered as loving child
Kyriakakos said the boy's family wants him to be remembered as a happy child who was full of life.
He described Surafiel as "a little active boy that loved life, that was very friendly, loved his family, loved his mom and dad, always engaged in any activity.… He was one of the best treasures in the family."
Weldeyohannes wore black as she returned to the crosswalk Tuesday. She broke down as she prepared to cross it to see one of the honorary signs installed.
"She's very shocked. Memories are back. It's a difficult moment. She cannot talk," Kyriakakos said while standing next to Weldeyohannes, adding the family is planning on moving away from the area.
"They always have to avoid this intersection. When they go shopping, when they go to school, they're forced to not walk through the same steps."
Eritrean community members handed out homemade bread, put roses on the ground and let balloons drift into the air to remember Surafiel.
The honorary signs marking the street will remain up for 10 years.
The city's honorary street naming program, which started in 2013, sees street toppers added to existing street signs, announcing the roadway's new honorary name.
Concerns about speed
The eight-year-old's death last year, and that of a four-year-old girl who died after being hit by a car earlier this year, have been hard on the Eritrean community in Winnipeg, Kyriakakos said.
After an investigation, Winnipeg police said last July no charges would be laid against the driver of the pickup truck that hit Surafiel.
Surveillance video reviewed by CBC News last February showed a car coming to a stop in the curb lane. A lane over, the truck that hit the boy went through the activated crosswalk without stopping.
Kyriakakos said the family hasn't had time to process what's happened and would like to review the evidence police collected in the future. He added the family would like the 60 km/h speed limit on St. Anne's Road lowered.
The city installed new low-mounted flashing lights last August after a city report recommended safety improvements to the intersection.
The review found that between January 1980 and December 2016 at least two other people had died at the intersection and one person was injured in a pedestrian-vehicle collision.
Louis Riel School Division superintendent Christian Michalik said Tuesday that crossing guard hours have been extended in the morning to end at 8:30 a.m. Previously crossing guards were scheduled to work from 8 a.m. to 8:17 a.m.
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