1 week Ago By CBC
A community is mourning after the death of a six-year-old who was struck by a car in a hit-and-run on Sunday in Surrey, B.C. The crash, which happened late Sunday afternoon at the intersection of 164 Street and 108 Avenue, also injured the child's two siblings.
First responders tried to save the girl's life, but she died at the scene. "She was lying down on the ground not moving ..
. and at that time, I didn't know that she was not here anymore," said Sawarn Jawanda, who lives near the site of the crash. On Monday, several community members stopped by to leave flowers.
The siblings, aged seven and 16, were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say a grey pickup truck struck all three children and fled the scene. About an hour after the incident, police say they received calls about a similar-looking truck parked about a kilometre away.
Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Surrey Police Service said officers arrested the man who was inside the truck, but he has since been released. Police say alcohol may have been a factor, but they have not yet recommended charges, and their investigation is ongoing.
Safety concerns raised by residents Jessica Weismiller, who lives near the scene, says she has long worried about safety at the intersection — there are no traffic lights, and an elementary school is just a few hundred metres away. "I am not, I guess, surprised in some ways. I tell my 12-year-old to avoid this intersection every time if he's out by himself; he's not to come here," she said.
ICBC traffic data indicates there have been three crashes at the intersection between 2019 and April 2023, one of which involved either an injury or fatality. In a statement, the Surrey School District confirmed the children involved were students in the district and said it was offering counselling services to support the school community in the aftermath of the incident..
