Saint-Henri residents set up memorial for 8-year-old boy struck and killed by car
Borough mayor says city will look at ways to make area safer following deadly incident
Saint-Henri residents have started dropping off flowers, notes and stuffed toys at the street corner where an eight-year-old boy was struck and killed by a car on Wednesday afternoon.
The boy had left the day camp at the St. Zotique sports and cultural centre and was crossing at the corner of St-Ambroise and Square-Sir-George-Etienne-Cartier streets when he was hit around 4 p.m.
Police said the vehicle involved in the incident came to a full stop at a stop sign, then continued on, which is when the boy was struck.
He was transported to hospital, where he later died.
Daniel Bélanger, the camp's director, told CBC that, based on security camera footage from the front of the building, he has a good idea of what happened.
Bélanger said children at the camp usually wait for their parents to pick them on up on the steps in front or on the sidewalk. He said in this case, the boy's parent was parked on the other side of the street and signalled for him to cross.
The boy waited for one vehicle to pass in front of him, but was struck by a car going the opposite way as he crossed.
"I think we all learned our lesson that parents must come pick up their kids on the sidewalk," he said.
"It's a tragedy for the family, but a day camp, it's like a big family for the summer. We knew the child, we knew the parents, this really affected us," Bélanger said.
In a Facebook post Wednesday night, The Centre Récréatif, Culturel et Sportif (CRCS) St-Zotique said it would be closing the camp until Monday to give staff psychosocial support over the coming days.
Shielding the other children
Julie Bugeaud, who has a child at the camp, said she was impressed by how quickly the counsellors were able to keep the children's backs turned and ensure that as few children as possible witnessed the collision.
"For sure some people witnessed it, but those who hadn't come out yet were kept inside," Bugeaud said.
Kevin Thomas was on his way to pick up his oldest daughter from the day camp when it happened.
Feeling shocked and saddened, he scrambled to find some way to help and started directing traffic at the street corner until authorities arrived. He said a few others at the scene did the same.
So far, no charges have been laid in the incident, but police are investigating.
On Wednesday, Sud-Ouest borough Mayor Benoit Dorais said once the investigation concludes, the city "will make sure all recommended safety measures are put into place."
Support from neighbours
Estefania Contreras brought her two sons, Tristan and Lucas, to the makeshift memorial to pay their respects.
"He was the same age as my younger one," she said. "This is so close to home. I feel this is an important reminder for them to think about safety when they are on the roads, on their bikes."
Contreras said she no longer feels comfortable letting her boys walk around the neighbourhood on their own.
"It could have happened to any of us."
With files from CBC's Kate McKenna, Antoni Nerestant and Radio-Canada's Rémi Authier