An Edmonton mother is asking for pedestrians and motorists to watch out for one another after her 16-year-old daughter was killed after being struck by a vehicle.
Marcia Jacobson said her daughter Ayva was going to visit a friend Thursday afternoon when she was struck at 118 Avenue and 78 Street.
READ MORE: 16-year-old girl dies after pedestrian collision in northeast Edmonton
Police said the pedestrian was walking from the south side of 118 Avenue to the north side when she was hit by a vehicle going west. The pedestrian was in a traffic light controlled crosswalk and the light was green along 118 Avenue, according to police.
“I was shocked. I don’t know, shocked,” said Jacobson when asked about when she found out.
“You don’t expect that’s going to happen.”
Ayva died in hospital from her injuries. Police said the 22-year-old male driver of the vehicle was not injured. Alcohol and drugs are not considered factors in the crash.
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The family has questions about how fast the vehicle was going. Carolin Maran, a spokesperson for Edmonton Police Service, said police are investigating whether speed was a factor in the collision and charges are pending.
“The doctors said she was hit at an impact of around 70 km/h,” Jacobson said. The posted speed limit is 50 km/h.
“If the speed was lower, maybe the trauma wouldn’t have been so bad.”
Grandfather Joseph Tomie is also concerned about how the crash happened.
“The car looked like it had hit a motorcycle at a high speed. Can you not see somebody crossing the street?”
Jacobson said the entire family is devastated.
”We’re shocked at what happened. In a blink of an eye, your life can change,” she said.
Jacobson said her daughter had a passion for learning and was looking at universities and colleges.
“She was really just a driven kid. She wanted to go and look at some open houses for some universities…University of Victoria specifically. So I just bought her a plane ticket to go out to Victoria,” she said.
Jacobson also said Ayva, who played sports, was musically inclined.
“She wrote her own songs. She can play piano and sing. She could sing Adele music better than Adele,” she said with a small chuckle.
Jacobson has this warning for pedestrians.
“Everybody needs to pay attention, pedestrians and motorists alike. We all need to look out for each other and take care of each other in this world.”
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