Community mourns 17-year-old girl fatally struck near Birchmount Park Collegiate

Parents in Scarborough are calling on the city to make roadways safer after a 17-year-old high school student was struck and killed by a vehicle Tuesday.

The teen was a student at Birchmount Park Collegiate.

The crash happened just before noon near Birchmount Road and Danforth Avenue, metres away from the teen’s high school.

In a press release, investigators said a minivan was travelling down Birchmount Road and turning left onto Danforth Avenue when the victim was struck. The teenage victim was crossing the street at a crosswalk when she was hit.

Police say it’s unclear who had the green light. The driver involved remained on scene.

CityNews spoke with a family member of the victim at the scene of the crash Wednesday. They were trying to make sense of the tragedy.

“How can you make a left turn and kill somebody? It’s heartbreaking,” said Karin.

The high school student’s death has sent shockwaves through the community and prompted renewed calls for action.

“There’s a parent this morning who’s waking up without their child in the house because of the choices our city makes about this intersection,” said Mark Richardson, who has a child in Grade 12 at Birchmount Collegiate.

He says roads near the high school are notoriously unsafe.

“People just gun it through here at 60, 70 or 80 kilometers an hour and the city doesn’t seem to do anything about it.”

Toronto Mayor John Tory was asked about the fatal crash on Tuesday. He acknowledged the city needs to do more to keep pedestrians safe.

“We’ve had hundreds of speed limit changes, speed cameras have been introduced, speed bumps have been put on roads. Intersections are being redesigned,” Tory stressed, adding that “in the end it boils down to one thing, the principle responsibility cannot be on the government. The principle responsibility remains and rests on the people who have their two hands on the steering wheel.”

Richardson says there are a number of things officials can do to improve pedestrian safety in the area.

“The speed limits need to be slower,” he advised. “There needs to be photo radar cameras through here, not just red light cameras.”

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) said it had grief counsellors on hand as students returned for class at Birchmount Park Collegiate Wednesday.

The TDSB says the team of social workers and psychologists will remain at the school however long they are needed.