A 15-year-old girl is dead and her friend was injured after a two-vehicle crash in Brampton, Ont., on Friday sent one of the vehicles onto the sidewalk.
Family has identified the girl as Maddy Rousell and there is a growing memorial for her with flowers, candles, teddy bears and balloons near the location where police say she was struck.
Just after 8 p.m. Friday, emergency services were called to McLaughlin Road and Horwood Drive.
“They were either walking up or down the sidewalk, the car was going south, got hit by a left-hand turned driver. The black car spun out of control, went up onto the sidewalk so the girl would not have had a chance,” said Brian Cramp, who lives near the crash scene.
Peel Regional Police Const. Richard Chin said Saturday morning that investigators believe a Honda Civic went to turn left onto Horwood Drive from McLaughlin Road but struck an oncoming Volkswagen on McLaughlin.
“The impact of this collision caused the Volkswagen to spin and mount the sidewalk onto the southwest side of the intersection, striking our victim who was walking with a friend on the sidewalk,” he said.
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A retired nurse who lives next to where the crash occurred said she heard a loud bang from her kitchen and immediately rushed outside.
“My instinct was to run, I ran out and I saw a young lady lying down,” she said. “I just kneeled beside her and I asked her if she was OK, what her name was and there was no response.”
The teenage girl was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead, while her friend was treated for minor injuries at the scene by paramedics.
The 36-year-old Mississauga man driving the Honda has been charged with dangerous driving causing death, turning not in safety and refusing or failing to comply with a demand for the approved screening device.
“It does appear that alcohol was a contributing factor to this tragic incident,” Chin said.
The retired nurse, who asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons, said she watched two people arrested.
“It just broke my heart because they were walking like nothing happened … nowadays everybody’s got a phone you can call an Uber if you’ve been drinking. It’s unacceptable,” she said.
A friend of Maddy’s family started a GoFundMe to raise funds to help her parents.
“Rodney, my best friend, is shattered. His little girl was his everything. He is self-employed and the sole provider of the household and will be unable to provide in the near term,” wrote Christy Bick, campaign organizer. “Please help these beautiful people by donating to help them grieve in peace without having to worry about money.”
Denise and Rodney Rousell spoke to Global News on Monday expressing their heartbreak.
They said Maddy was about to start Grade 10 and was excited about the summer.
She was spending time with friends and working with her father.
“She’s been making him so proud learning his trade,” Denise Rousell said.
“I was supposed to pick her up like 10 minutes after this occurred… She was only like 20 minutes from home,” her father cried.
It was his birthday on the day of the crash and Maddy had written him a letter and given him a big hug before she went out with her friend, the couple said.
“She was such a sweet girl… She was loving life,” Rodney Rousell said.
Police are asking witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to contact them.
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