Photo: Google Maps
The corner of Duncan Avenue and Columbia in Penticton where a girl was hit by a car Monday.
A Penticton mother is sounding an alarm about what she calls an increasingly dangerous intersection, after her daughter was struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk on her way to school.
On Monday, June 12, Nicole’s* 14-year-old daughter was heading to school as usual on her scooter, from the Columbia area to Holy Cross.
She arrived at Duncan Avenue and, after waiting for a bus to pass, she entered the crosswalk heading north across the street.
“There’s a video from the Duncan Corner [surveillance],” Nicole shared with Castanet.
“[My daughter] pushes her scooter across the crosswalk, gets about halfway, and [the driver] comes speeding right up, goes right through the first crosswalk and hits [my daughter] who goes flying up over the hood.”
Nicole got a call from one of the many bystanders, which included a local dentist and a few City of Penticton workers who witnessed the crash, and she rushed to the scene.
Her daughter was taken to hospital, and has a broken arm, a hurt ankle, and significant bruising all along her left side where she was struck. She is extremely sore, and upset about missing school and time with her friends.
Nicole said police are involved, and that the woman who hit her daughter did stay on scene, and to Nicole’s understanding may have been driving distractedly.
Nicole wants to see more done to make that intersection safe, especially given the influx of new homes and development in the area further up the hill at Sendero Canyon that has brought with it increased traffic.
She said she is not alone in feeling that way.
“One mother, she’s been going through that crosswalk with her kids spread out in ages for 10 years and almost daily now she sees a child almost get hit,” Nicole said.
“There are family townhouses across from Duncan Corner Store, Columbia Elementary School is right there … it’s got to be either a stoplight or a four-way stop.”
In an emailed statement to Castanet, City of Penticton communications advisor Shane Mills said the following:
“We’re always looking at ways to improve safety on the streets, like through the Safe Routes to School pilot project, and other traffic calming measures,” Mills wrote.
“At this point, this particular intersection is not scheduled for changes but staff are always reviewing to see where improvements can be made. We’d also remind everyone to slow down and for everyone to be mindful of your surroundings.”
Nicole said that she is grateful her daughter is recovering, and hopes this will never happen to another child.
“If at the end of the day that made there be a light or a four way stop, I would be able to sleep at night. That at least something good came out of it.”
*Castanet has omitted Nicole’s last name to protect the identity of her child