WINKLER, Man. – Dozens of students, teachers and residents on Monday afternoon took over a Winkler highway where a 16-year-old girl was struck and killed, demanding a controlled crosswalk be installed immediately.
Carina Denisenko died Oct. 3 after she was hit by a truck while crossing the highway. The Grade 11 Northlands Parkway Collegiate student was leaving school and on her way to work at the time of the accident. The crash happened just as classes let out for the day in front of several students.
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Teachers acted as crossing guards during the four-hour-long rally. Organizers of the rally also hoped to raise awareness among drivers about the need to be cautious while driving through school zones.
Northlands Parkway Collegiate opened in September. The high school is located just outside Winkler on a busy two-lane highway.
City officials said they have asked the province for more than two years for a controlled crossing with lights on the highway.
Just hours before Denisenko died, Winkler’s mayor received an email from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, giving the city permission to put up crosswalk lights at a cost of $12,500. The mayor said he has no problem paying the bill, but he wants to know why it took so long for the province to give its approval.
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