The 17-year-old girl accused of impaired driving causing death in a crash in St. Vital on the weekend isn’t due in court until late next month.
Meantime, one victim remains in critical condition in hospital. Two other young women were killed. And some are calling for a new crackdown on teenage drinking.
The mood was somber Tuesday at the University of Manitoba where students remembered Senhit Mehari, the 19-year-old business student killed in the horrific crash.
Senhit was in a car with four other friends when it was T-boned by another vehicle at the intersection of Bishop Grandin Boulevard and St. Mary’s Road early Sunday morning.
A 17-year-girl was also killed, while an 18-year-old woman remains in critical condition.
“After what happened last weekend, it gives me more reason to do it (take part in an event organized by Menhari),” said Asha Parboji.
Mehari was one of the promoters of World Wise, an event at the U of M aimed to bring students of all ethnic backgrounds together and promote students working abroad.
Parboji says her friend Senhit was working on the project the day she died.
“She would have loved to have been here,” said Parboji.
Sunday’s crash has some safety advocates calling for the province to increase the legal drinking age from 18 to 21.
“MADD Canada does support that,” said Doug Mowbray, president of the Winnipeg chapter of Mothers Against Drinking and Driving. “If it was higher, it would have been a little bit more difficult for her to get the liquor.”
A provincial spokesperson tells Global News there are no plans to change the legal drinking age at this time. But Mowbray says the crash should serve as a wake-up call about the dangers of underage drinking.
Yohannes Mehari, Senhit’s father, refuses to cast blame on the teen accused of killing his 19-year-old daughter, but he too wants the government to revisit the issue.
“Society has to deal with it because today is for our daughter,” said Mehari. “Tomorrow is going to be someone else’s daughter.”
A spokesperson for the province says there are no plans to increase Manitoba’s legal drinking age.
The lawyer for the 17-year-old accused says his client is devastated. Her next court appearance is Dec. 29.
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