| Girl
struck, killed by reversing driver |
| Mother injured in Burlington
accident Sunday April
16, 2000 |
A 13-year-old
girl was killed and her mother injured after they were struck
by an elderly woman reversing her car at the Burlington Mall.
The 82-year-old motorist was coming out of a parking space about
4 p.m. yesterday as the girl and her mother were passing by
police said.
|
They were hit just
outside the Zellers store, at the southeast entrance of the
mall, at Guelph Line and the Queen Elizabeth Way, said Halton
Region police Acting Staff Sergeant Alex Nikitin.
Hannah Samuels, 13, of Burlington was taken to Joseph Brant
Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Her mother, Tracy Smith, 34, remains in hospital with serious
but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police did not release the name of the driver. Lisa Allan had
just pulled up into the parking lot when she noticed shoppers
frantically calling 911 on their cellular phones.
|
"It was shocking. There
was so much blood," Allan said. "She was just lying
there and people were panicked." Inside the Zellers, where
the mother and daughter were apparently heading, cashiers called
for "Ms. White," a code for an emergency. "It
was frantic." One cashier said. Joanne Ross, marketing
manager at the Burlington Mall, said such an incident has never
happened there. Traffic officers continue to investigate, but
Halton police Staff Sergeant Tom Chapman said speed was not
a factor.
|
| There was no damage
to the vehicle, a gray Ford Probe, other than a scrape on the
driver-side rear bumper, but it isn't clear if it was caused
by the impact, police said. The fatal accident is the second
is less than a month involving an elderly motorist. An 84-year-old
Toronto woman was charged with careless driving and failing
to stop after an accident causing death after Beth Kidnie, 43,
was struck and dragged to her death on April 4. |
| |
| Albertans
Charged in son's death |
| Boy, 5, was biking unsupervised
Sept 20, 2000 |
A grieving Edmonton couple have
been charged with criminal negligence in the death of their
five-year-old son, who was run over by a van last month.
On the weekend, legal observers said the charges could lead
to a broadening of the obligation of parents to provide the
necessaries of life -- including safety -- to their children.
|
| Police say Leslie Shaw died
while he was biking unsupervised on a busy street in Edmonton
and collided with a van that was backing up. They say they
had warned Leslie's parents, Robert Shaw and starlene Gibson.
Neighbors and drivers had complained of near accidents. |
"This matter was addressed
with the family, and they were advised there were consequences"
if they failed to comply,police spokesman Sergeant Bryan Boulanger
said.
Edmonton police said it's probably the first time in Canada
that criminal charges have been laid against parents for supervising
their children inadequately. "We didn't make that decision
lightly," Sgt. Boulanger said. "We know that it's
definitely going to be controversial".
|
Bruce Elman, a law professor
at the University of Alberta, said in an interview yesterday
that the charges should send a message to parents.
"This case does not put parents on notice that one of their
obligations under the Criminal Code is to ensure the safety
of their children," he said.
|
| Leslie's Parents are scheduled
to appear in court tomorrow. In an interview with the Edmonton
Sun that was published yesterday, Mr. Shaw said he and his wife
have suffered enough. |
| |