‘Really distressing’: Mahogany neighbourhood in shock after near-miss collision near family home

Surveillance footage captured this month shows a dangerous near-miss when two vehicles collided into each other and almost hit a child in their own driveway.

A shocking video shared to social media this week showing the moment two cars nearly crashed into a child is the latest reminder of the dangers on Calgary roads.

Security video from outside a home in the community of Mahogany on the morning of April 15 shows a father and two young sons leaving the house when two vehicles crash into each other in a nearby intersection and careen onto the property.

The vehicles nearly missed one boy and damaged a support beam on the home.

Police say the crash happened when a man in his 50s driving a black SUV south on Magnolia Passage S.E. failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a white car driven by a woman in her 70s driving travelling east toward the same intersection.

Both drivers sustained minor injuries and the driver of the SUV was issued a summons for failing to stop at a stop sign.

Kaitie McKay, who lives in the house that was hit, had left for work minutes earlier when her husband called her about the collision.

“He was very distressed on the phone and I needed him to tell me the kids were OK before I couldn’t even do anything,” McKay said, adding that she turned around and drove home after learning the kids, aged 7 and 3, were okay.

She said it wasn’t until she saw video from their security camera and doorbell camera that she understood how nearly this situation could have ended differently.

“It was it was shocking to see the video because I didn’t realize how it came to hitting my children.”

“There’s a lot of things that went right that day, like the rocket stopped the white car from hitting my husband and then my husband and my son having such a quick reaction to seeing a car barrelling towards him.”

She calls the incident “surreal” and said the whole family was pretty quiet the day it happened.

“(I) just tried to talk to the boys and make sure they weren’t too upset about it. I know my eldest is probably more affected than we realize. He’s had a lot more nightmares recently.”

She wants a four-way stop at the intersection instead of the two-way stop and for all drivers to be more cautious on the roads.

The councillor for the area said he would consider the updated traffic stop after hearing about the incident.

“It’s concerning,” said Ward 12 Coun. Mike Jamieson.

“This (intersection) is now new to our radar ... and we will be following up and looking into (it).”

Police say the crash is a reminder that it’s important to obey traffic laws and stay attentive while driving — especially in residential areas.

“This collision could have had far more serious consequences. A family was outside their home at the time, just steps away from where the vehicles came to rest,” said District 8 Staff Sgt. Graeme Smiley.

Neighbours also shaken

Nicole Heisler lives in another corner lot at the intersection and saw the collision.

“I saw their son right at the front there and I thought he had gotten hit so I screamed and ran outside,” Heisler said.

“It’s super emotional for me because it’s almost happened a few times with our kids.”

“It was really distressing,” she added saying it’s not the first time she’s seen dangerous driving in the community.

“I want people to pay attention. It’s enough of this, every time you go it’s somewhere you see people cutting each other off, there’s road rage there’s people flying through here all the time, driving so fast.”

McKay echoed that sentiment.

“People on this road drive way too fast and there are kids playing out in the yard,” she said.

“If you’re behind the wheel use caution. It’s never worth someone’s life.”