A 15-year-old boy is dead after he was hit by at least two vehicles in Vaughan Thursday morning, police say.
York Regional Police said it happened in the area of Weston Road and Villa Royale Avenue. That’s just south of Major Mackenzie Drive.
Emergency crews responded to the scene at 7:24 a.m.
Police said a boy was found with life-threatening injuries and was taken to a trauma centre where he was pronounced dead.
“It’s believed he was struck by at least two vehicles,” police said.
The vehicles involved remained at the scene.
“It sounds like the first vehicle struck him, he was thrown and then struck by a second vehicle,” Const. Lisa Moskaluk told Global News.
“But that will all be determined through our roadway reconstruction teams and investigators at the scene … It’s important that any witnesses come forward just to help fill in those gaps for us and determine what happened.”
Moskaluk said the boy was likely headed to a school in the area. She said she believed he attended Tommy Douglas Secondary School, which is located a short distance away, near Weston Road and Major Mackenzie Drive.
Global News has reached out to the York Region District School Board but has not yet received a response.
Police were seen at Tommy Douglas Secondary School on Thursday.
Parents and students at the school were distraught to hear news of the boy’s death. He has not been named by police.
Ahmad Dhalli, a parent at the school, said he believed the student may have been in Grade 11.
His daughter, Maryam Dhalli, said that while she didn’t know the boy personally, people were “crying and grieving” in the halls of the school.
Other parents said the incident raised concerns about potential speeding and their children walking to school.
Moskaluk said the boy’s next of kin have been notified.
“It’s a horrible situation for anybody, but especially for any parents who have children that attend that school or other students that are friends of that student or that may have witnessed it,” she said.
“Because of that, we also have our youth officers that are attending the school, and victim services are being provided to anyone that requires that, especially the family at this time.”
Moskaluk said it’s believed there were “quite a few” witnesses in the area at the time of the collision and asked them to come forward.
“It’s quite a busy area with both pedestrian traffic of students going to school and with vehicles in that area on Weston Road,” she said.
“Unfortunately it doesn’t sound like a lot of people hung around to speak to police.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has video footage from the area around the time of the collision was asked to contact police.
York police’s major collision bureau is investigating.