Makeshift memorial grows for 5-year-old girl killed in Etobicoke: ‘Breaks my heart’
Posted November 15, 2021 8:15 am.
Last Updated November 15, 2021 1:08 pm.
Flowers, unicorns and teddy bears sit at the base of a tree, the site of a growing memorial for a 5-year-old girl killed when her mother lost control of their car and crashed in Etobicoke on Saturday.
Many passersby stopped at the makeshift memorial, located on Renforth Drive, for a brief moment, a quiet moment on Monday to pay their respects.
“I have a granddaughter who is five. It breaks my heart,” one man said.
“What are you going to do, right? She is in heaven. It is heartbreaking,” another woman said.
A memorial of flowers/teddy bears+unicorn drawing now marks spot on Renforth Dr where 5 year-old girl was killed Saturday night when car she was in spun out & crashed into this tree. Speed believed factor. The 31 y/o mother who was driving suffered “life altering” injuries. pic.twitter.com/BDGTzqqRuR
— carl hanstke (@carlCityNews) November 15, 2021
The girl was with her mom driving to a friend’s place just north of Rathburn Road shortly after 9 p.m on Saturday when their car spun out of control and crashed into a tree. Emergency services managed to free the girl who was in the backseat of her mother’s Nissan Versa. The five-year-old was rushed to a pediatric trauma centre, where she was pronounced dead.
One witness tells CityNews they heard a loud bang around the time of the crash.
“It seemed like the car was going quite fast. This is a 40 [speed] zone.”
Police tell CityNews speed was undoubtedly a factor in the crash, and they’re investigating whether the woman was impaired.
The girl’s mother was transported to a hospital with life-altering injuries.
“Police are interested in speaking anyone who may have witnessed the collision as well as local residents, businesses or drivers who may have security or dash-camera footage of the area or incident,” Toronto police Const. Laura Brabant said on Sunday.
With files from John Marchesan of CityNews
