Police have received new security camera footage in their investigation of the tragic collision that killed a 14-year-old girl in Burnaby, B.C. last week.
The footage was provided by Ledingham McAllister and Marcon Construction, which has temporarily suspended construction on its project site in the wake of the crash.
The tape apparently shows a neighbourhood dog “running out of its yard and startling the victim who then tragically ran onto the road,” the company said in a Monday statement.
“Sadly, the driver would not have seen the victim, as she ran between the dump truck and its hitched trailer,” it wrote.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences continue to be with the family, and we have made efforts to reach out to them to offer support.”
The teen, a pedestrian, was struck and killed by a dump truck just before 3:30 p.m. on May 5 near a construction site in the 7100-block of 11th Avenue. The truck driver works for one of Ledingham McAllister and Marcon Construction’s trade partners, the company has previously confirmed.
In a community update on Monday, Ledingham McAllister and Marcon Construction said it shared footage of the dog with Burnaby RCMP.
Other businesses in the area of the crash have previously reached out to the SPCA about the “wayward dog” impeding their own operations, it added, and will contact police to assist in the investigation.
In a written statement, the BC SPCA told Global News it has not received any complaints or information about the dog with respect to the tragic accident. It said it had, however, received a complaint in 2020 from the address where the dog is believed to reside, about a dog being involved in an incident of biting with another dog.
“Apparently it was resolved and the dog was not deemed to be dangerous, but we have had no other reports on the dog since,” wrote Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications at the BC SPCA.
Global News attempted to reach the dog’s owners at home, but was not successful.
In its own Monday statement, Burnaby RCMP said it is still examining all factors that may have contributed to the tragic accident. Speed and impairment are not currently believed to be among them.
The Mounties said they’re aware a dog had been in the area at the time of the collision, but there is no indication it was behaving dangerously or had previously been the subject of any police complaints.
“We know the community is looking for answers as to what caused this tragic collision,” said Cpl. Michael Kalanj in the release. “We are asking people not to jump to conclusions as our officers continue to gather necessary evidence.”
Residents in the neighbourhood have told Global News they’ve been raising safety concerns in the area with the municipality for months. A pedestrian was also hit in the neighbourhood in November, but was not seriously injured.
In the past 12 months, Ledingham McAllister and Marcon Construction said it has received two complaints related to traffic from its site. Both were related to traffic flow rather than infractions.
To mitigate risk, however, the company said it met Monday with its trucking partners, other heavy industry companies, and the City of Burnaby’s traffic and engineering team.
It will now shut down a portion of 11th Avenue at the exit of its construction site, so trucks will proceed west from 11th Avenue to 18th Street, and from 18th Street to 10th Avenue, instead of going east. It will also extend the existing sidewalk on a portion of the south side of 11th Avenue.
All trucking activities, it added, will be halted until that work is complete.