'A child is going to die here': Calls for change at Norfolk County crosswalk

Friends and family of a student who was hit at Norfolk County crosswalk last week are calling for changes they say are badly needed to improve road safety.

Xander Berry, 15, was struck by an SUV on James Street just steps from his school, Delhi District Secondary.

Local parents say he’s the third child to be hit at the same crosswalk in the past year.

“I just want some sort of protection,” Xander said Friday at a rally calling for additional safety measures.

The tenth grader was on his way to get lunch when he was struck.

“All I remember was seeing a black car, [I] blacked out and woke up in an ambulance,” he said.

Witnesses say Xander was thrown 30 feet. He suffered serious injuries to his face, jaw and knee.

“I didn’t think that he was alive,” mom Amanda Berry said. “He was non-responsive. His eyes were open, but he wasn’t blinking. He was laying in the middle of the road.”

OPP later charged a 55-year-old with careless driving in a community safety zone.

Xander Berry in hospital. (Source: Amanda Berry)

ROAD SAFETY

Lindsey Cooper says her daughter was also struck by a vehicle on the same street last year.

“I got the phone call at 3:03 [p.m.], my daughter’s been hit,” she told CTV News. “A child is going to die here if [the county] doesn’t do something about this.”

The crosswalk currently has blinking lights to warn drivers, as well as a crossing guard.

Some say that’s still not enough.

“I see a lot of people just not paying attention, on their cellphones, just speeding through,” said crossing guard Derick Greathead.

“I’ve seen way too many fast drivers,” added James Kirk, also a Delhi District Secondary School student. “The truck drivers, most of the time, drive right through. I’ve almost been clipped by a truck.”

CTV News even spotted some bad driving behaviour while covering Friday’s rally. Vehicles were seen driving through the crosswalk even as they were being signaled to stop.

“The lights were flashing,” said Amanda Berry, Xander’s mother. “Did you see that? The crossing guard was out [and] the car went right through.”

Xander Berry at a crosswalk safety rally on Nov. 3, 2023.

CALLS FOR ACTION

Parents and local MP’s have been asking Norfolk County and the Ministry of Transportation for added safety measures. They’re also calling for a traffic light to be installed.

“We’re supportive of any kind of change that can bring safety here,” said Dave Smouter, the communications manager for the Grand Erie District School Board. “We’re more than happy to work with the community, with the county, whatever we can do to help make that happen.”

“I’m hoping that the ministry will keep good on its word that they are actioning this and they will make this a priority,” said Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady.

The Ministry of Transportation stated in an email to CTV News: “This pedestrian crossing is within the Delhi Connecting Link. This means that, even though this section of James Street is signed as a provincial highway, the municipality has jurisdiction over it and responsibility for improvements.”

But when CTV News reached out to Norfolk County they said:

“Norfolk County is aware of the previous incidents and is undergoing a review of the corridor. The existing Pedestrian Cross Over (PXO) was installed to MTO standards based on traffic and pedestrian volumes. Staff are supplementing existing traffic data to determine if additional traffic calming or safety measures are feasible. It is important to note that this is a provincially controlled corridor, and any changes must adhere to MTO standards and require consultation with the province.”