A young boy in Winnipeg has died after being hit by a car while crossing at a crosswalk –- just minutes after the crossing guard had left her post.
The Grade 3 student from Ecole Varennes was rushed to hospital in critical condition after the collision but died in hospital.
Winnipeg police say the driver involved remained at the scene. It's too early to say whether any charges will be laid.
One parent at the school who works as a crossing guard, Nuzhat Farooqui, says there is normally a crossing guard at the crosswalk from 8 a.m. to 8:17 a.m. every morning. The crash happened just minutes later, at 8:20 a.m.
The school’s webpage says classes begin at the school at 8:27 a.m.
Farooqui says the crossing guard is devastated. The woman had just finished her shift and was walking to a nearby McDonald’s to get coffee when the collision occurred behind her.
“When I met her, she was crying. Too much crying. And she is saying, ‘I'm not feeling well’,” Farooqui told CTV Winnipeg.
Jessica Lecuyer works in a restaurant directly in front of the crosswalk. She watched as emergency responders arrived and people rushed to try to help the boy. She was able to review the video surveillance of the collision captured by one of the cameras in her restaurant.
Lecuyer says from what she saw, one car slowed in the right lane as the boy began to cross, but a larger vehicle in the left lane kept going.
“It was pretty scary to see, I can't even imagine getting hit." she said.
The Louis Riel School Division, which runs the school the boy attended, posted a statement on its website saying: "Our hearts and our thoughts are with the family and friends at this time of great sadness. As further information becomes available, we will be sharing it with our school community. "
The school division says support services are available for students and families and that it’s “committed to providing a supportive space to express grief to help staff and students cope with the loss.”
With a report from CTV Winnipeg’s Beth MacDonell
