Some west Windsor residents are putting together a petition to push for a crosswalk after a four-year-old girl was struck by a bus.
Bobby Dupuis and some neighbours are planning to take the petition to the June 4 city council meeting. They want a crosswalk to be installed across Prince Road at Barrymore Lane, connecting to Mic Mac Park.
“My heart goes out to the family and we're all praying so hard for you guys right now,” says Dupuis.
Dupuis, who lives on Barrymore Lane, feels something needs to be done because he says cars are driving down Prince Road hitting upwards of 80 kilometres per hour.
Windsor police say the girl was sent to hospital with life-threatening injuries after getting hit by the Transit Windsor bus around 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Initial police investigation indicates that the injured child was not familiar with the area, and may have darted out into oncoming traffic.
Police say the matter remains under active investigation.
A GoFundMe page has been started for the B.C. family of the four-year-old girl, identified as Lila Jane.
The crowdfunding page says money raised will to help lessen the financial burden on her parents, who live in B.C.
Dupuis says the girl was with her brother and her aunt heading to the park when things went wrong.
Dupuis and his neighbour Aimee Van Wolde walked out of their homes to see the chaos.
“It was the aftermath so, the girl was already gone. The brother was still there and he was just kind of in shock sitting on the grass so I sat with him and made sure he was breathing and making sure he was drinking his water and I didn't know what else to do,” says Van Wolde.
Both Dupuis and Van Wolde say crossing Prince to get to the park can be a nightmare, especially during rush hour.
Dupuis hopes the tragic incident will serve as a reminder to other drivers to slow down in an area where kids are trying to enjoy being outside.
“People who are driving, just be aware of where you are,” says Dupuis. “You're not on the expressway. You know, there's kids. Just pay attention. That's all I ask please.”
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident who has not yet spoken to police is requested to call Windsor Police Service at 519-255-6700 ext. 4000, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS), or online at www.catchcrooks.com.
