The mother of a three-year-old boy who was hit and injured by a driver in Toronto’s Wychwood neighborhood last week, says city officials and motorists driving near schools must put child safety first.
Amanda Bokamyer, mother of Waylon Dennison, 3, says children in Toronto have the right to cross the street safely to and from school.
At 3:30 p.m. on Monday, November 8, Waylon was met walking between his caregiver and two older children, one of whom was his sister. They were on the zebra crossing at the intersection of Hendrick Avenue and Benson Avenue, south of St. Clair Avenue West and Oakwood Avenue.
“Toronto is getting more and more unsafe for our children,” said Bokamyer. “It shouldn’t take a child to be harmed, it shouldn’t take tragedy for us to mobilize. I think there are real community issues that need to be addressed at the local council level.”
According to Bokamyer, Waylon’s carer had told him that it was clear for him, his sister, and one other child to cross the street from the southwest to the southeast corner. His supervisor was behind him on the street, instructing a number of children to drive on.
Bokamyer said she believed the driver didn’t see her son and tried to slide between the older children and the caregiver, who was inches from the car, close enough to touch it.
Just before the collision, the nurse yelled at Waylon to stop. The driver stepped on the brakes and hit Waylon. He was about to turn around, fell back and hit his head. He suffered a minor concussion, scratches, and bruises. Paramedics from Toronto took him to the hospital, where he was treated and discharged. The driver stayed on site.
“I was crippled and paralyzed with fear,” said Bokamyer after the call that her son had been injured.
“It’s a phone call no mother should ever take, especially when she knows my son did everything right,” she said.
“It was crossed when asked to cross. And he went and he was on a zebra crossing. Even if you do everything right, there are drivers who are in a hurry. It’s time for us to take a deep breath as a community. We we should all take care of the little ones. “
Bokamyer said the city must immediately make the intersection safer. She said this could mean hiring a border guard or cutting off traffic at the intersection during drop-off and pick-up times at the school.
Hendrick Avenue, south of Benson Avenue, turns into a short cul-de-sac that leads into the back yard of McMurrich Junior Public School, where the children line up for class. A number of vehicles use the street to drop off and pick up children, but it is not wide enough to make a U-turn. Cars have to go backwards.
She said the intersection, “an ongoing community challenge,” is an example of how even residential streets are dangerous to children and road safety should be a priority in Toronto.
“This has to start at the grassroots level and the people in power have to start listening to us as parishioners,” said Bokamyer.
Two parents, Monika Jankowiak (left) and Livy Jacobs (right), discuss road safety at the intersection of Hendrick and Benson Avenues in Toronto. (Martin Trainer / CBC)
Parents urge the city to make the intersection traffic-free
Livy Jacobs, another parent, said the residential intersection is often overcrowded with cars blocking line of sight by illegally driving over or parking to take their children to school. She said because line of sight is restricted, parents and caregivers are on high alert when walking to and from school with their children.
“We use this intersection regularly to take our children to school. There is a lot of traffic and it is worrying when cars are obstructed from view for children to cross the street, ”said Jacobs.
Monika Jankowiak, a mother of three who lives at the intersection, said that before the collision, she and a neighbor had started creating flyers that were hung on the windshields of cars and hung in the neighborhood. The flyers are an attempt to educate drivers and encourage them not to park or stop illegally in the area. She proposed to the city that the area should be cleared of traffic.
“That has made me nervous over the years. There is a lot of chaos. There are cars that pull into this cul-de-sac and then go backwards and have lines of sight to know if it’s safe to cross the street, “she said.
“The only question is, what’s the answer? We’re in a city. We can’t create very secure drop-off areas. We just don’t have the space.”
Jankowiak said the solution is to make it impossible for drivers to enter the area and then try to create active modes of transport, including “walking school buses” where children go to and from school in groups. The city should encourage safer modes of transport like walking and cycling to reduce traffic, she said.
Count. Josh Matlow, Ward 12, Toronto-St. Pauls says, “We need to understand what exactly happened when a young child was hit by a car.” (Christian Gomes / CBC)
City council calls on the city to investigate border guards
Count. Josh Matlow, Ward 12, Toronto-St. Paul’s said his office had been informed of concerns in the community and had arranged a meeting with the school principal, school council, concerned parents and city transport staff about possible improvements to the intersection. He said he would also look into the possibility of guards crossing for the intersection.
“We need to understand what exactly happened that resulted in a young child being hit by a car,” said Matlow. “As a father himself, that’s unacceptable. We should do everything we can to prevent it.”
According to Toronto Police, the 13th Division Community Response Unit has contacted the school about the collision. The police said in an email that traffic officials, along with the community liaison officer, went to school on November 12 and assessed the traffic situation, which was “noticeably brighter” that day.
“Our officials have provided advice and strategies to the school to help with traffic problems related to picking up and dropping off students,” police said.
“We continue to offer the school, students and residents all support and assistance to make the area a safe place for everyone.”
A woman and two children walk near a school in Toronto steps from an intersection that is considered dangerous for children. (Christian Gomes / CBC)
