An eight-year-old boy said Tuesday he yelled for a Markham mother to stop before she ran over her two-year-old son while backing out of her driveway, but she didn’t hear him.
Levon Boudakian was among several young children who witnessed the boy’s death Monday evening.
"They were backing up and then he ran right in," the youngster recalled, noting it all happened extremely quickly.
John Jaskot says the neighbourhood is in mourning, including his own young children, who also witnessed the incident.
"We have kids who are traumatized," Jaskot said yesterday from the driveway of his home on Bushberry Court in Markham, near the intersection of Kennedy Road and 16th Avenue.
A couple of doors down, a police car remained stationed in front of the accident scene at 6 Bushberry Court, which was cordoned off by yellow tape. No one was home.
Neighbours identified the slain toddler as two-year-old Jayden, and his parents as Winnie and William Yip. The young family, including a six-month-old baby, had lived there approximately two years, neighbours estimated.
Levon’s mother, Sonia Boudakian, said the family is "beautiful — such super nice people." She described Jayden as "a sweet little boy" who played well with other neighbourhood children.
Police would not confirm the family’s identity, and said an officer would remain outside the home until the coroner’s investigation concluded.
"There will be no charges laid," said York Regional Police Sgt. Gary Phillips. "We just need to help this family grieve."
The tragic collision occurred on Monday around 6 p.m. As the two-year-old played outside his home, his mother began backing out of the driveway and struck him, causing fatal injuries. Paramedics attended the scene but were unable to revive the young victim.
Yash Kapur, who lives on an adjacent street, said it will take a great deal of time for the community to get over the tragedy, which could have happened to anyone.
"It was very sad. We as neighbours couldn’t even sleep the whole night," he said.
Many residents have young children, Kapur said, and the arrival of police cars on Bushberry Court stunned the quiet neighbourhood.
motoole@nationalpost.com
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