There’s been an outpouring of support for a local family in the wake of a tragic collision that claimed the life of a seven-year-old London boy.
On Monday, emergency crews rushed to the area of Longwoods and Murray roads just before 4 p.m. after the young boy was struck by a vehicle after getting off his school bus.
Police say the young child was transported to hospital by paramedic services with life-threatening injuries.
All involved parties remained at the scene.
A GoFundMe confirmed seven-year-old Dante Caranci has died from his injuries.
“No words can express the heartbreak of losing a child. This is such an incredible family, and Dante was such a loving boy who will be deeply missed,” the GoFundMe read.
The online fundraiser has surpassed $125,00 in donations as of Thursday morning in support of the Caranci family.
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The organizer of the post says all of the funds raised will be going towards helping cover Dante’s funeral costs and anything the family needs afterwards.
A visitation will be held on Friday in London, with the funeral to follow on Saturday.
There have not been any charges, but Const. Matthew Dawson, media relations officer, said police are still figuring out what happened and asking for anyone with information to come forward.
Dawson could not confirm if the school bus had its stop sign out at the time of crash but says school bus safety is of utmost importance all year round.
“When you see the orange or amber lights come on, that’s indicative of the school busses preparing to make a stop,” Dawson said. “Obviously, once those red lights come on and the stop sign comes out, there’s a requirement for all vehicles, whether oncoming traffic or traffic that’s flowing with that bus to come to a complete stop within a safe distance from that to allow kids getting off of the bus to do so safely.”
Dawson says more information will be provided once it becomes available but that their thoughts are with the family.
“Any kind of occurrence such as this takes a huge toll on the community and the families. So, our thoughts are with the family and that includes the greater community that is surrounding that family as well as all involved emergency personnel,” he said.
London police are appealing to members of the public who may have dashcam footage or video surveillance in the area of Longwoods Road near Murray Road between 3:45 and 4:05 p.m., or who may have information that can assist with the investigation, to contact them.
—with files from 980 CFPL’s Scott Monich
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