Neighbours speak out after 3-year-old killed in Chilliwack

It is a message for drivers everywhere — slow down and pay attention to your surroundings.

Some neighbours are speaking out after a three-year-old child was hit and killed by a vehicle Wednesday morning in Chilliwack.

It happened around 10 a.m. on Vedder Road at Petewawa Road, close to a park and daycare.

Elizabeth Wilde lives nearby and says she saw the emergency vehicles rush by.

“We have a group text in the complex, and all the moms were saying someone got hit. We are all worried because we all have young kids. We all looked, and there was a kid lying on the ground. They were trying to do CPR,” she told The Leader Spirit while holding her one-year-old son on her hip. 

“I was devastated. I was very hurt for the family because I have young kids, and no one wants to deal with the loss of a child.”

Wilde says she is often outdoors in the neighbourhood with her older children, who are six and eight.

“We walk to the school that’s close by, and everybody is worried about the traffic. It’s nonstop. People don’t see the lights flashing, and some people don’t pay attention,” she said. “Please be careful. Watch your surroundings and pay attention.”

Christina Mariano operates a daycare across the street and echoes that message to drivers.

“It’s scary. I was crying, literally, over there. I can’t imagine if I was the mom. I don’t know if I could take it,” she said. “The drivers need to be careful … there’s a big park over there. They need to be careful. We are keeping our children inside the daycare … we are so scared of that happening one day.”

According to the RCMP, emergency responders tried to save the child’s life, but they succumbed to their injuries.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the child’s family and loved ones during this unimaginable time,” said Insp. Harinder Kheleh. “This is a heartbreaking incident that affects the entire community.”

The Mounties say the driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.