Toddler struck and killed by vehicle in Surrey

Residents of a Surrey townhouse complex are reeling after a three-year-old girl who was playing outside with her family died after being struck by a driver.

Warning: This story contains disturbing details

A three-year-old girl has died after being struck by a vehicle in Surrey on Sunday night.

The collision appears to have happened near the entrance of a townhouse complex near 64th Avenue and 138 Street in the Panorama neighbourhood.

Police say they were called to the area around 8:15 p.m.

“Our officers arrived and BCHS paramedics were administering lifesaving medical intervention to a young child, but tragically, the three-year-old girl died,” said Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Surrey Police Service.

A crowd of very distraught people, including what appeared to be the child’s family, gathered in the complex.

“We know that, sadly, the child was hit in the roadway. Investigators are trying to piece together, based on witness accounts, based on CCTV and dash cam footage, the exact series of events that led up to this.” said Houghton.

Houghton says the toddler was with her family when the collision happened.

Jahir Uddin, the vice-president of the complex’s strata, says the family are refugees from Afghanistan and his kids played with theirs’ often.

He saw his neighbour’s children outside playing while on his way to grab a coffee.

When he returned, he saw the devastating aftermath.

“Dad is holding the baby, and the kid’s bleeding so much, like it was really bad bleeding,” said Uddin.

He called 911 and the operator tried to walk him through CPR.

“I was trying to feel the pulse of the baby by the time and I kind of sensed that the baby already passed away. It was brutal,” said Uddin.

Uddin says the kids were on their way to the playground when the little girl was hit.

“The kid was on the other side and I saw the sister was trying to come to the sister to go to the playground. And then the kid went under the car,” said Uddin.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

“The driver is an adult male and remained at scene and is co-operating with the investigation. There’s no indication at this point there’s any criminality behind the collision,” said Houghton.

Police say at this early stage, investigators do not believe that speed or impairment were contributing factors.

The area has since fully reopened to traffic.

Houghton says these kinds of tragedies are devastating to the entire community.

“These take a significant emotional toll on people who are there and on first responders, you know, from paramedics to firefighters to our investigators on the police side that deal with sometimes dozens of these in a career, let alone a year, the emotional toll adds up, and these are very distressing calls for all of us to go to and investigate,” said Houghton.

He’s reminding drivers to be particularly careful during the summer months when the days are long, the weather is nice, and more kids play outside.

“That sometimes brings those kids into conflict with vehicles. You know, whether the kids are on foot or on bikes, you know, we want people, if they’re driving, slow down, know that there’s going to be a lot of kids out there enjoying the summer evenings. And we want parents and kids to be mindful that these streets are busy,” said Houghton.

Uddin says speeding is an issue in the complex, despite the installation of speed bumps and signs warning people to slow down.

He says he will not be allowing his kids to play in the complex as a result of the tragedy.

“Kids are here to play and grow. We should give them a chance to grow and do not over speed and have patience while driving. I know everyone is going to work or coming back with a good day, bad day, life happened, but do not let your driving be influenced by those situations,” said Uddin.

Police are asking any witnesses to the collision or anyone who may have any information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, to call them at 604-599-0502.