WATCH: 14-year-old Violet Liang, a student at C.W. Jefferys, was struck and killed by a disposal truck on her way to school. Police are investigating. Lama Nicolas reports.
TORONTO – A 14-year-old teenage girl is dead after being struck by a dump truck on her way to school in Toronto’s west-end Tuesday morning.
The incident happened just before 8 a.m. at the intersection of Sentinal Road and Lamberton Boulevard near the Finch Avenue West and Keele Street area.
The collision occurred across the street from Elia Middle School.
Police say a citizen who witnessed the crash performed CPR until emergency crews arrived.
Toronto EMS confirmed the girl succumbed to her injuries on scene.
Global News has learned the driver of the truck is a 42-year-old employee who was on the job for the first day with the company. The driver remained at the scene and it’s currently unclear if charges will be laid.
The Toronto District School Board confirmed the victim as Violet Jia Liang, a student from C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute.
Liang was a Grade 10 student and enrolled in the school’s enrichment program.
“This was a student that was attending our grade nine and 10 enrichment program; A 90 per cent student,” school principal Monday Gala told reporters Tuesday. “We’re talking about a student who really enriched this building. A fantastic student who really enriched our classes.”
And Director of Education for the TDSB, Donna Quan, shared her condolences for the family during a morning media event at Ogden Junior Public School.
She also reminded drivers that they need to be extra vigilant in September as children across the province are returning to school.
“There’s always a rush to get somewhere but just taking that moment to slow down and checking in front of you, behind you, beside you is so critical during this time where 250,000 students are returning to school, not only in Toronto but well over a couple million in the province of Ontario,” she said.
Earlier this year, police charged a 64-year-old man with careless driving in connection to the death of five-year-old Kayleigh Callaghan-Belanger who was struck and killed by a garbage truck while walking home from school in March.
A month later, Toronto city council approved a review of its solid waste operations after the child was killed.
Police across the province of Ontario have been reminding motorists to be extra careful in school zones as thousand of students return to the classroom on Tuesday.
WATCH: Education officials react to death of teenage girl on first day of class
– With files from The Canadian Press
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