A community came together Thursday evening (Dec. 17) to honour a Surrey mom who was killed earlier this week by a runaway cargo van.
Dozens of people gathered at the intersection of 144th Street and 61A Avenue to lay flowers and pay tribute at the crash site. Families could be see walking down the street and coming out of their homes with flowers in hand.
It happened at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday (Dec. 15). Police said two vehicles were involved in the crash, adding that “early indications” were that an unoccupied cargo truck rolled into traffic where it struck a vehicle” and then “continued travelling onto the sidewalk” and hit the woman.
At least two dozen people have stopped by to place flowers at the corner of 144 Street and 61A Avenue. #SurreyBC @SurreyNowLeader https://t.co/N91E6nhHsA pic.twitter.com/BGpVoAGB9T
— Lauren Collins (@laurenpcollins1) December 18, 2020
READ ALSO: Pedestrian struck and killed by driverless vehicle near Surrey’s Sullivan Heights Secondary, Dec. 15, 2020
Surrey RCMP said the driver of the cargo van stayed at the scene was co-operating with police.
Corporal Joanie Sidhu said the woman was walking her two children home from school when the incident happened.
The intersection is near Sullivan Heights Secondary and Goldstone Park Elementary.
READ ALSO: Surrey RCMP to mechanically inspect cargo van that killed Surrey mom, Dec. 16, 2020
“She was walking with her two kids. They were uninjured and they are physically OK,” Sidhu said of the children. “They are being looked after, I just can’t give you the details of who is looking after them. The kids are being looked after.”
Thursday evening, there was still tape around the scene, with debris and a tree that had been knocked down in the crash.
Penny Barker, who organized the small gathering on Thursday, said she just wanted the community to “pause for a few minutes and be grateful.”
“That way the husband knows that we’re all on his side and we’re thinking about him,” she told the Now-Leader.
Meantime, Goldstone Park Elementary principal Laura Grills said in a Dec. 17 newsletter that the school community “suffered a tragic loss earlier this week.
“A parent at our school was the victim of an accident and we are heartbroken for the family. This is a devastating loss and we need to be respectful of the family’s privacy as they process their grief,” said Grills.
However, she added there have been a “number of families” who have reached out to offer support for the family.
“While your overwhelming kindness is appreciated, at this time please do not drop off items at the school,” said Grills, adding that the school’s parent advisory committee has volunteered to coordinate monetary donations through the hot lunch website.
To donate, visit goldstonepark.hotlunches.net.
– With files from Tracy Holmes, Tom Zytaruk
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A child in the community places flowers at the site where a Surrey mom was killed by a runaway cargo van on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. On Thursday, dozens of people from the community came together to pay tribute to the mom. (Photo: Lauren Collins)
