Students and school officials gathered on Friday to remember the five-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a city garbage truck.
Kayleigh Callaghan-Belanger died Thursday after she was struck by a city garbage truck in near Cliffside Drive and Kingston Road on Thursday afternoon.
“She was a very funny girl. She always came to school happy, that was Kayleigh,” the principal of the school said.
A parent from Kayleigh's school drew this portrait of her. Students will draw butterflies inside
Kayleigh Callaghan-Belanger loved art. This is one of her paintings
A makeshift memorial remembering Kayleigh has been growing near Cliffside Public School in Scarborough, the school she attended
The memorial has grown significantly with dozens of flowers and stuffed bears.
“She made everyone smile. I’m still in shock. I still can’t completely comprehend what happened,” Kayleigh’s father said.
School counsellors have been at the school helping staff and students cope with the sudden loss.
Two other children, ages 6 and 13, were also hit by the truck, but have minor injuries, according to a CityNews report.
There is no word yet on charges.
Kayleigh’s viewing is scheduled for Monday and the funeral is set for Tuesday.
The intersection of Cliffside Drive and Kingston Road does not have a crossing guard – something parents had been lobbying for before before Kayleigh died.
Meanwhile, this neighbourhood doesn’t have sidewalks and some area residents are pushing for them to be built.
One resident has contacted City Councillor Gary Crawford about sending him a petition to have sidewalks installed.
Local residents have complained that there is no signage in the neighbourhood indicating it’s a school zone.
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http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.change.org%2Fen-CA%2Fpetitions%2Fprioritize-safer-streets-in-the-wake-of-tragedy-cliffside-drive-and-surrounding-neighbourhood&h=UAQFZEUmb&s=1
Please sign this petition. The neighbourhood needs to be safer.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.change.org%2Fen-CA%2Fpetitions%2Fprioritize-safer-streets-in-the-wake-of-tragedy-cliffside-drive-and-surrounding-neighbourhood&h=UAQFZEUmb&s=1
This girl was struck and killed by a “one-man” automated garbage truck where the lone occupant drives on the “right side” of the cab and empties residential garbage and recycling bins with a large automated arm that is on the side of the truck. These children were NOT struck by a “rear-packer” garbage truck that ALWAYS has a two-man crew. I have always felt that the automated garbage trucks were not safe, especially when they are operating in residential subdivisions where people live and children play. Three of us neighbours where I live have previously complained about this to the City to no avail. We still have these automated garbage trucks. We have had three (3) separate incidents on our street of previously emptied green bins being “jostled” by the automated arm of the truck when the garbage/recycling bins are emptied, resulting in the green bin falling underneath the truck and being run over by the rear wheels of the truck— in one case, the green bin was crushed. The lone driver of the truck apparently does not see this happening! Frequently, garbage bags (on “garbage” day) will fall back to the ground when the bins are emptied and are subsequently run over by the rear wheels of the automated truck. Again, the driver seems oblivious to this. The City of Toronto (or somebody!) really needs to look into this and eliminate these automated “one-man” garbage trucks (City trucks, as well as GFL) from our residential streets and go exclusively with rear-packers that have two-man crews. I hope someone is now paying attention to this plea!!!
ATTN:PF,let the police finish their investigation before handing any charges,this girl is dead and no charges or prison term is going to bring her back to her family.
Ever heard of an accident. Not every car or truck that kills a child is driven by a careless psychopath. The man collapsed to the ground when he saw what happened.
As a heavy truck driver making deliveries in the GTA every day I will say that short of someone running out into the streets from behind parked cars, I suspect the driver was negligent.
I was trained to ‘aim high’ as a driver which means to scan the area, left and right, not just focus on the road for things happening off the road such as kids or animals and in most cases, adults not seeing you.
Some years ago I was travelling on Kennedy rd in Brampton when I came upon a crosswalk with flashing lights. It was a women with a little one walking and she was pushing a carriage, assumably with a baby in it. I was in the right lane and slowed down as I approached, but I looked in my mirror and could see a car approaching in the left lane that wasn’t slowing down. The women proceeded across the road without looking both ways, just looking straight ahead. I pulled my ‘air horn’ and it shocked her enough that she froze, which was good for everyone as the car ran the crosswalk.
I was very aggitated at what happened, got out and I berated her for not looking both ways and to look around a truck to see what’s going on in the next lane. She started crying and thanked me.
Was I right to berate her? Maybe. Possibly she was occupied with other things in her life but just like drivers, her full concentration should be on the road if she is in the care of children.
Bottom line. The driver may have surveyed the area or may not have. I suspect not because I stop and wait the 20 to 40 seconds it takes for people to cross numerous times a day and usually they are people who are getting off a bus tryig to catch a connecting one on the other side of the road so a driver has to survey the area to see if these people are appraoching.
PS; If someone on a bicycle got hit I would feel more sympathetic to the driver because bicycles move so much faster and do indeed “come out of nowhere”…
It’s too early. Typing too fast, not enough coffee. I spelt approaching wrong……..
A girl is dead where are the charges!