Concerns are being raised about road safety around Ladner in the wake of two pedestrian crashes last week, one that ended fatally.
Emergency responders were called out to two collisions involving pedestrians last Tuesday morning. The crashes happened at virtually the same time at intersections about a kilometre apart.
The first call came in at 8: 32 a.m. after a 13-yearold girl was struck at the crosswalk at 55B Street and Ladner Trunk Road.
Delta police spokesperson A/Sgt. Paul Eisenzimmer said the girl was transported to Children's Hospital to be treated for head injuries.
The second call came in just one minute later after a 53-year-old woman was hit as she crossed Ladner Trunk Road at Elliott Street. She was transported to Vancouver General Hospital with head injuries. Initially, reports indicated the woman was in stable condition but she later died from her injuries.
Both incidents are still under investigation.
The crashes have prompted concerns in the community around pedestrian safety.
Carrie Beisick still remembers the day she was hit in the crosswalk at Westminster Avenue and Linden Drive. It was April 2010 and she was out walking with her 10-year-old daughter and the family dog.
Beisick said the trio stopped at the crosswalk and, thinking it was safe to cross because a car had stopped, started to make their way across the street. That is when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the car making a turn.
She said the car hit the dog first, which prompted her daughter to scream and try to yank the dog out of the way. Beisick said her daughter wasn't hit by the vehicle but injured her knee trying to pull the 80pound dog out of the way. Beisick got hit and suffered knee damage.
She said it appeared the driver was looking in the opposite direction.
"I see this kind of thing everyday," she said, adding she walks around Ladner daily.
Beisick required surgery and doctors at B.C. Children's Hospital monitored her daughter's injury.
"We're all fine now."
Ladner resident Misty Fredericks remembers her close call at the crosswalk at 55B Street and Ladner Trunk Road.
It was six years ago, Fredericks said, and she had just dropped her son off at daycare.
She said she hit the button to activate the crosswalk lights and traffic stopped in the lane closest to her, as well as the two other lanes heading in the opposite direction. She stepped out and started to cross when she saw the face of one of the drivers in the opposing lane.
"I know she saw my life flash before her eyes," Fredericks said.
She stopped just as a car, which she estimates was travelling around 60 km/h, drove through the crosswalk, missing her foot by mere inches, she said.
"Had I been one step further I would not be here today."
Fredericks now lives near that crosswalk and said she often sees drivers braking hard to avoid hitting pedestrians.
"I don't feel like letting it rest," she said, adding she contacted Mayor Lois Jackson to voice her concerns after last week's accidents and she urges others to do the same.
Earlier this month, with the school year beginning Delta police issued a road safety reminder, including tips for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists.
Delta police spokesperson Sgt. Sharlene Brooks emphasized that it is important for pedestrians to make eye contact with drivers and wait for vehicles to come to a stop before stepping off the curb.
"Likewise, drivers must be attentive to the crosswalks and scan for pedestrians in the area," she said. "Be a defensive driver.
Anticipate the unexpected."
