A 10-year-old West Vancouver girl is recovering after being struck by the driver of an SUV on 15th Street Tuesday afternoon.
West Vancouver police say the girl was walking home from Ridgeview Elementary around 3:15 p.m. when the driver of a southbound BMW X1 hit her while she was crossing 15th Street.
The collision knocked the girl three to four metres, not the 18 to 20 metres investigators initially reported.
“Still pretty significant contact,” said Const. Jeff Palmer, West Vancouver police spokesman.
The girl suffered bruises, abrasions and a concussion, and was taken to Lions Gate Hospital, Palmer said.
After interviewing witnesses at the scene, Palmer said it appears the girl darted onto 15th mid-block between Lawson and Kings avenues. No charges are anticipated.
“The witnesses indicated it was just a very sudden move into the roadway by the pedestrian and the driver was just unable to react in time,” he said.
There was no indication the driver was speeding, Palmer added.
The West Vancouver police victim services unit is attending to both the girl and her family as well as the driver, who was also left shaken by the incident, Palmer said.
The collision offers a number of safety lessons, Palmer said, for drivers and pedestrians.
“Sometimes youth, after or before school, can and will do unpredictable things. It’s important for drivers to be as alert as possible and kind of expect the unexpected if they’re anywhere within the vicinity of a school,” Palmer said.
It’s also important for parents of youngsters to have a “good clear discussion of safe crossing methods,” he added.
A North Vancouver driver, meanwhile, was ticketed Wednesday morning after striking a pedestrian who was in the crosswalk at First Street and St. Georges Avenue. The 39-year-old man received only minor injuries. Police issued the driver a $176 ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian, according to Cpl. Richard De Jong, North Vancouver RCMP spokesman, and the officers cautioned the victim against wearing dark clothing.
