Residents raise safety concerns after young child dies in Cambridge, Ont. crash

A day after a child was struck and killed in Cambridge, there was another collision on that same stretch of road. CTV’s Karis Mapp reports.

A memorial continues to grow in a Cambridge, Ont. neighbourhood following a crash that resulted in the death of a three-year-old girl.

The Waterloo Regional Police Service said the child and a 31-year-old woman were struck by a vehicle while walking in the Cedar Street area, near the Westgate Centre plaza, just before 1 p.m. Thursday.

The child had life-threatening injuries and died shortly after she arrived in hospital, while the 31-year-old woman had serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries.

Police said the driver, a 75-year-old man from Cambridge, was not hurt.

By Thursday evening, stuffed animals and flowers lay near the spot where the crash happened.

CTV News visited the scene again on Friday and discovered emergency responders had been called to another crash, this time involving two vehicles, in the same area.

Police said one person was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and one of the drivers was charged.

The back-to-back collisions was concerning for those who live nearby – especially those who often walk in the area.

“I know a lot of people are not stopping and just keep going. Or try to go as fast as they can,” one resident said.

Shawn Hass, a disability advocate, called Thursday’s crash devastating.

“It’s just heart wrenching to know that a three-year-old girl won’t wake up, won’t see Christmas, won’t be going to school with their friends, getting married,” he said.

Haas, a double amputee, also lives near Cedar Street. He said he avoids the crosswalk at all costs as he was almost hit there on multiple occasions.

“I’ve talked to the police a couple times and informed them on what has happened and how close I’ve actually been to getting hit. And then to have the three-year-old die? It’s inexcusable.”

Hass believes more should be done to keep pedestrians safe.

“They could put a camera on the top of the light that turns on when the buttons are pressed and off when the button is done,” he suggested.

Cedar Street is a regional road but Mayor Jan Liggett said the city may still advocate for changes in the future, such as lowering the speed limit.

“This is not a community safety zone here. So that’s why it’s 50 km/h. But that’s something that maybe should be considered, marking this a community safety zone,” she added. “My transportation team will put that forward, most likely to the region to see about having that happen.”

Police said the fatal crash is still under investigation and they will not be commenting further at this time.