Community mourns 3-year-old killed in Cambridge collision

Waterloo Region residents are mourning this weekend after a crash claimed the life of a three-year-old girl.

Waterloo Regional Police Service said the child and a 31-year-old woman were struck by a vehicle while walking in the Cedar Street area near the Westgate Centre plaza just before 1 p.m. on Thursday. The child suffered life-threatening injuries and died shortly after arriving at hospital. The woman was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said the driver, a 75-year-old Cambridge man, was not injured.

Police have said they will not be commenting further while the investigation continues.

A community in mourning

On Thursday evening, flowers, stuffed animals and toys had been placed near the scene, as members of the community gathered to mourn the child’s death.

In the days following the crash, Indigenous community leaders called for support. The Healing of the Seven Generations issued a public request for fire keepers to help maintain a sacred fire ceremony in Cambridge, held over the weekend to support the child’s family.

Organizers said the sacred fire is expected to burn for four days.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support the child’s family, as community members continue to leave tributes and share messages of condolence.

Safety concerns

CTV News returned to the site of the crash on Friday and learned emergency crews had responded to another collision on Cedar Street involving two vehicles. Police said one person was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and one driver was charged.

The back-to-back crashes have raised safety concerns among residents who frequently walk in the area.

Disability advocate Shawn Haas, who lives nearby, described the fatal collision as devastating and said he has narrowly avoided being hit at the same crosswalk in the past.

“I’ve talked to the police a couple times and informed them on what has happened and how close I’ve actually been to getting hit,” he said. “And then to have the three-year-old die? It’s inexcusable.”

Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett said the city may advocate to the Region of Waterloo for additional safety measures, including lowering the speed limit or designating the area as a community safety zone.

“This is not a community safety zone here. So that’s why it’s 50 km/h. But that’s something that maybe should be considered, marking this a community safety zone,” she said. “My transportation team will put that forward, most likely to the region to see about having that happen.”