4-year-old girl struck and killed by GO train in Mississauga
Posted July 26, 2022 8:38 pm.
Last Updated July 27, 2022 6:43 pm.
Police are investigating after a four-year-old girl was killed by a GO train in Mississauga while attempting to cross the tracks with her family on Tuesday evening.
Peel Regional Police were called to Lolita Gardens and Silver Creek Boulevard, near Dundas Street and Cawthra Road, just after 7:30 p.m.
Police tell CityNews the girl’s family was taking a shortcut across the tracks when the train came around a bend at full speed. The other family members were able to get off the tracks in time, but the child was struck by the train.
“Police and emergency services arrived on [the] scene and located a young child that had been struck by a train. Unfortunately, this child succumbed to their injuries,” Const. Donna Carlson said on Tuesday.
One witness who works near the tracks tells CityNews he heard the train’s loud horn moments before the child was hit.
“We ran out after that and managed to see that someone had been struck by the train,” they said. “When we heard the train lay down the horn excessively, we knew that something was wrong.”
Another witness says they heard the horn followed by a loud bang and then screams from the child’s family members.
“I was sitting there watching it,” she says. “How do you live with that? You can’t.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) says they are investigating the incident and will “gather information and assess the occurrence.”
Crews install new fencing to block track access after child’s death
Canadian Pacific (CP) railway crews arrived on Wednesday morning to install new fencing and block off an opening where the family crossed the tracks.
The train tracks in the area were easily accessible to pedestrians via a dirt pathway and a gap in the fence. Warning signs are posted in the area advising people not to trespass.
Residents who live nearby tell CityNews the tracks were regularly crossed by pedestrians who use it as a well-known shortcut.
Some frustrated residents told CityNews the makeshift crossing needed to be blocked off to prevent further incidents.
“Block off the train tracks and build a walking bridge,” says one resident. “How long is it going to take for them to do that?”
Metrolinx spokesperson James Wattie tells CityNews the sudden tragedy “has had a profound impact on everyone involved, from our crew and passengers to Metrolinx staff.”
“Our thoughts are with their family and loved ones as well as with our train crew and passengers,” Wattie said.
“We are providing grief counsellors for our crew and staff investigating the scene. We understand tonight’s tragic incident was also very upsetting to many customers. There are many excellent mental health supports in the community, and we encourage them to reach out to someone if needed.”
Wattie says the girl was hit by the final train on the Milton line for the day, noting that riders heading to Milton GO Station were to be accommodated by bus for the rest of the night.
CP crews install new fencing along train tracks in Mississauga on July 27, 2022 after a child was struck and killed by a train the day before. CITYNEWS/Tammie Sutherland
Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie issued a statement on social media, shortly after the news broke.
“Absolutely devastated to hear of the death of a young four-year-old child who was tragically hit by a train tonight,” Crombie wrote on Twitter.
“The loss of a child is nothing short of a tragedy, and my heart goes out to their family and loved ones as they grieve this indescribable and immeasurable loss.”
