A 16-year-old remains in hospital after they were hit Wednesday by an LRT train in front of a Kitchener high school.
Waterloo regional police are still trying to determine the exact circumstances that led up to the incident.
THE CRASH
The collision happened on Charles Street, near Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute around 2:30 p.m., right around the time the school would have been letting out for the day.
Police say the teen was trying to cross the street when they were struck and became trapped underneath the vehicle.
Kitchener Fire helped lift the train to extricate him.
An Ornge Air Ambulance landed behind the high school and took the teen to Hamilton General hospital with life-threatening injuries.
REACTION FROM STUDENTS AND PARENTS
Many students and parents witnessed the crash.
“I heard the noise, the loud bang, and when I turned around I saw crowds,” one student told CTV News. “It was loads and loads of crowds everywhere.”
Mubarika Ahmed was picking up her son from school when she saw the emergency response.
"It was very, very terrifying,” she told CTV on Wednesday. “No matter whose child it is, it’s somebody’s child and I really hope, I pray to God, may he be feeling well and he’ll get over this. It is very terrifying."
An aerial view of a crash involving a pedestrian and LRT vehicle in Kitchener on March 8, 2023. (Submitted/Dimka Dimitri)
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
Waterloo Regional police say their investigation is ongoing and they are still trying to figure out exactly where the teen was hit.
“Trains of any sort don’t stop on a dime,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Griffiths.
Police are reviewing images and witness accounts. They also hope more people will come forward to share what they saw.
“There’s always a different angle or viewpoint that we may not have seen that gives us some context to what happened,” Staff Sgt. Griffiths said. “So we’re always encouraging people to call us with any information they may have.”
SUPPORTS OFFERED TO STUDENTS
Police say there were around 50 people on the LRT vehicle at the time of the crash, and if any of them need support, they can reach out to police.
Cameron Heights is also offering supports to anyone who needs them.
“[The school] cancelled all tests and exams,” a student said Thursday. “There are people inside the school in case students want to talk or just get their feelings across so we are being supported, but the school is very unsettled right now. Everybody is feeling some type of way about the situation, which I think is pretty is normal.”
Police are not commenting on whether the teen who was hit was a Cameron Heights student, but multiple students have told CTV News that was the case.
CITY COUNCILLOR REACTION
Charles Street is a regional road, but according to City Councillor Debbie Chapman, it may be time to add more safety measures around the tracks.
“The only thing that comes to mind, that I’ve seen in some places like Toronto, are railings, so that you wouldn’t be able to pass mid-street.”
She noted that the LRT passes by several schools.
“I would like to see the region go back and look at the safety measures that are in place, especially around schools,” she told CTV News.
