A Trafalgar student was hospitalized after being struck by a car while on the way to school Wednesday morning.
Sadye Gordon Moore, 13, was using a crosswalk at the intersection of Observatory Street and Mines Road when she was hit. The Grade 8 student suffered two lost front teeth and had two others damaged.
Megan Moore said her daughter also has lump on her forehead and a scrape on her face. She’s also been advised to watch for concussion symptoms.
“[Sadye] has some pretty major dental surgery to go through,” said Moore. “It’s a very traumatic incident for a child. But the fact that she was in the middle of a designated crosswalk and hit just baffles me.”
Sadye Moore was later returned home from Kootenay Lake Hospital.
Const. Matthew Caldwell said the driver is co-operating with the Nelson Police Department’s investigation and that charges are being considered under the provincial Motor Vehicle Act.
Caldwell said the off-ramp that extends off Ymir Road and ends at Observatory and Mines makes the intersection complicated for both drivers and pedestrians.
“It’s probably one of the intersections in Nelson where both pedestrians and drivers need to take special attention and extra time to really have a good look around before they enter and pass through the intersection so we don’t have situations like this.”
Megan Moore said her daughter usually walks to school with her 11-year-old brother, but that he happened to be home sick.
She pointed out the crosswalk is the only route for Rosemont students to take if they are walking to Trafalgar, and that she couldn’t understand how the driver didn’t see her daughter.
“It is just not well managed. I think there should either be an official crosswalk light or they should have flag people there in the mornings and at the end of school.”
Superintendent Christine Perkins said because the crosswalk is four blocks away from Trafalgar and not on School District 8 property, the onus is on the city to review how safe it is.
“All my concern for now would be that everybody slow down,” said Perkins. “We’ve put notices out already this year that school is back and people need to slow down and look left and right and be careful because there’s children all over this community that are crossing every street.”
Moore said other parents have already reached out with their concerns about crosswalks elsewhere in Nelson.
“Unfortunately this kind of event has to bring that to light,” she said. “I hope something’s done.”
tyler.harper@nelsonstar.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
