2 days ago
Toddler struck and killed by vehicle in Surrey
The scene of a fatal crash in Surrey is seen on Sunday, July 13.
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.
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.
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.
