A woman and five children have been rushed to the hospital after they were struck by a driver while crossing a street in Oshawa on Wednesday morning, police say.
The collision happened at the intersection of Ryerson Crescent and Sheridan Street at around 9:25 a.m.
Speaking from the scene on Wednesday afternoon, Acting Sgt. Nicholas Gluckstein, of Durham Regional Police Service, said the group from a nearby daycare was on their daily walk and was crossing the road. That’s when they were hit by a vehicle heading southbound that turned, he said.
“The pedestrians, so one adult female and five children, were walking northbound, and as they were walking across the street, that vehicle making a left turn struck them all,” said the media officer.
Police previously said that a toddler suffered critical, life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a local-area hospital. The child was to be transported via air ambulance to a Toronto-area trauma centre, they said.
The second child suffered minor injuries, while the woman’s injuries are being described by police as serious, but non-life-threatening.
Information was not immediately available about the three other children who were injured.
2-year-old girl critical: police
Gluckstein has now identified the toddler who was critically injured as a two-year-old girl. He said she was initially taken to a local hospital to be stabilized before being rushed via Air Ornge to a Toronto-area trauma centre.
An update on her condition would be provided once it is available, the media officer said.
He added that the four other children were transported to a local area hospital with minor injuries, while a woman, who is a worker at a daycare in the area, suffered serious, non-life-threatening injuries and was also transported to a local area hospital.
The children range in age from three years to seven months, said Gluckstein, and all of their parents have been notified.
Driver also sent to hospital
He previously said the driver, whom he only described as an adult, remained on scene and is cooperating with this “complex” investigation.
The motorist has also been taken to the hospital with minor injuries “that may just be as a result of you know the adrenaline and everything that comes with having the collision,” he said.
Charges have not been laid against the driver at this time.
- How to set CP24 as your preferred source on Google
- How to set CTV News as your preferred source on Google
Crash happened at a 2-way stop
The collision occurred at an intersection with a two-way stop and the vehicle that was turning did not have a stop sign.
“There are no stop signs for them to potentially stop and take a look around there. But five children and an adult female crossing the road is a pretty large sight to see,” Gluckstein said.
The officer said he can’t speak to the speed the motorist may have been travelling at but said it would be something investigators would be looking at “as they speak to witnesses, which there are quite a few, and as they comb the residences of the area to pull video camera to see exactly what speed, what direction, what happened.”
He did indicate that police have no evidence to believe they were under the influence or any other type of criminal elements were “involved in their driving capacity.”
“We’ll look at any kind of distracted driving when it was whether it was you know cell phones or eating or anything of that nature. We’ll look at impairments, whether that’s a factor,” said Gluckstein.
“As the investigators speak with witnesses and comb all of the video footage, they’ll make that assessment and look for any fine details that they can gather.”
Drivers, pedestrians must obey rules of road, be safe: police
“We want drivers, all drivers, to slow down, obey the speed limits, obey the rules and regulations of the road. If you’re coming across roadways like the one behind me, where there are no stop signs, we are making sure that you know if there are pedestrians in the area, we’re making visual eye contact with them so that we know that they know that we’re there and that they’re crossing the road,” the media officer said.
“We have to be aware of that and the same goes for the pedestrians as well. If you’re walking across the road, you’re crossing sidewalks, we want to make sure if we see any vehicles in the area, we’re making eye contact. You know, we’re stopping, we’re pausing, we’re making sure it’s safe to proceed.”
Intersection closed due to investigation
The intersection of Ryerson Crescent and Sheridan Street remains closed due to the investigation.
Police are asking drivers in the area to find an alternate route.
