3-year-old boy dead after truck hits family at crosswalk in southwest Edmonton

A three-year-old boy has died after he and his family were struck by a truck at a marked crosswalk in southwest Edmonton on Thursday.

A 39-year-old woman and her two young children, a seven-year-old boy and girl, were struck while crossing the street in the Allard neighbourhood around 5 p.m., Edmonton police said in a news release.

A 2019 Ford F-150 truck was traveling northbound on Allard Road SW when it quickly stopped at the three-way stop on Allard Boulevard SW, police said.

At the same time, the woman and her children were walking east across Allard Road SW in a marked crosswalk on the south side of the intersection, police said.

After a brief stop, the truck allegedly turned left onto Allard Boulevard SW heading west, hitting the boy and striking the mother and daughter, police said.

The boy was already dead when paramedics arrived at the scene.

The woman and her daughter were treated for non-life-threatening injuries but have since been released from hospital.

The driver remained at the scene

The 30-year-old man driving the truck remained at the scene. He was not injured.

Charges have been filed against the driver, police said. Investigators do not believe speed or alcohol were factors in the collision.

By Friday morning, little trace of the accident remained.

A small memorial of pink roses and peach iris flowers was placed on the sidewalk, next to a white candle.

The boy’s death is the seventh fatal collision involving a pedestrian this year in Edmonton, police said Friday.

Yogita Sharma, a mother of two who lives nearby and regularly passes through the area on her morning walks, was shocked to hear of the boy’s death.

She said the intersection is often very busy and unsafe for pedestrians to travel through.

Security measures needed, residents say

The city should consider installing a flashing pedestrian light at the crosswalk, or a traditional traffic light, to improve safety, Sharma said.

She said the death is a tragic reminder to parents of the dangers children can face on the city’s roads.

“My thoughts are with the family. My heart goes out to them. I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” she said.

“It’s sad, so sad and it’s a warning to us as parents.”

Sharma said she often talks to her children, aged six and 14, about road safety and the boy’s death reminds her of the importance of those conversations.

“I always tell them, ‘Be careful. Pay attention and make sure the person driving the car sees you and stops. Don’t rush, you won’t miss anything. Life is more important.”

Neighbor Pamela Little also said the intersection, which she crosses almost every day with her young children, is unsafe.

“It’s just devastating,” Little said. “It could happen to any of us… So it’s sad for the mother and the family. They really should do something instead of just a three-way stop.”

The city will review the case with the police

Stephen Raitz, a board member of Paths for People, said he believes the intersection’s design poses a safety hazard to pedestrians.

“There are very long distances to travel, the design really facilitates the rapid movement of cars, and ultimately, yesterday we saw this mixture of really dangerous ingredients produce a really terrible result for the community,” Raitz said. “We saw trucks driving through here.”

In a statement, the City of Edmonton offered its condolences to all those affected, saying it would review the matter with police.

“We analyze the police fatality report, previous traffic collision history and other relevant data, and conduct a site review (which includes examining signage and lane markings, road geometry and sightlines) to better understand the safety risk and identify short- and long-term measures that can be implemented to improve safety,” said Rupesh Patel, the city’s acting director of safe mobility.

Patel said the intersection was turned into an all-way stop a few years ago after a city study. Patel also noted that residents are being asked for feedback on recently implemented traffic calming measures.

“The City has not received any major road safety concerns at this specific intersection in recent years. However, over the past year, residents of the Allard neighbourhood participated in a Vision Zero Street Lab, where their feedback was combined with the City’s technical expertise to develop a road safety plan for the neighbourhood. (…) In the coming months, we will be collecting feedback from residents on the newly installed measures and combining it with our review of fatalities, which may inform additional adjustments that need to be made.”