6-year-old boy dies after being struck by vehicle in front of his school in Scarborough
Boy was rushed to local hospital but died of his injuries there, say police
A six-year-old boy has died after being struck by a vehicle just across from his Scarborough elementary school Friday afternoon.
Toronto police say an adult pedestrian was also struck at the intersection of Halfmoon Square and Canmore Boulevard, a residential neighbourhood near Ellesmere Road and Morningside Avenue.
The collision happened right across from Morrish Public School where the boy was a senior kindergarten student, the Toronto District School Board confirmed. He had just left for the day when he was hit.
"Staff and emergency personnel were on site immediately and did everything they could to help," said board spokesman Ryan Bird in an email. "This is a tragic loss of a young life and our deepest condolences are extended to his grieving family and friends."
'He just kept crying'
A friend of the driver who allegedly struck the boy, said that his friend called him weeping after the crash.
"He just say that he picked up his son from the school and he was driving by and a kid ran from left to right side," Taufiq Alam said. "He just come in front of his car and got hit."
The boy was rushed to a local hospital, but died of his injuries there, police said.
Alam said that his friend had just picked up his own child from school when the collision happened.
"He was crying. He just kept crying," Alam said. "He's shocked and depressed and very, very upset."
Police are still investigating what led to the collision. Const. Clint Stibbe, however, said that it looks as though the boy did not use the crosswalk to go across the street.
"It does appear that the child stepped out from between two parked cars," he said, noting that officers are still investigating how quickly the driver had been going.
'A bad intersection'
Alma Anderson shook her head as she looked toward the police tape.
Anderson, who is a grandmother, said she often sees people drive right through the crosswalk at Halfmoon and Canmore.
"It is a bad intersection when you see the kids crossing it," she said. "Or even when you're coming off the bus, you have to look before you cross."
Although police initially said that an adult had also been struck, neither Const. Craig Brister nor paramedics had any information about his or her condition.
Toronto Paramedic Services spokesperson Kim McKinnon said that crews only treated and assessed the one victim.
With files from Mark Bochsler