7245 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

...His body is being kept alive until Thursday at 5:30 a.m. when his organs will be used to save up to eight people,” Bourque said in the post

What a selfless gesture by his family during their time of grief. I am so sorry for their loss.

[marks_28]

I recall it being a bit rainy?

I'm wanting to know details like - did the pedestrian hit the button for the flashing lights? Was their clothing visible? Was the driver's vision impaired by oncoming headlights?

Who knows. Sometimes drivers just aren’t paying attention. I was crossing the crosswalk at Dean Ave and Lansdowne Road this morning, around 815am, daylight, and a red light for the cars when the walk signal was on. Driver headed eastbound ended up slamming on his breaks in the middle of the intersection, right when I was in the middle of the crosswalk. I should say, I’ve crossed this crosswalk hundreds of times and never had this type of issue until this morning, but that’s all it takes sometimes. Such a needless tragedy. Feel for the family.

[Victoria Watcher]

Who knows. Sometimes drivers just aren’t paying attention. I was crossing the crosswalk at Dean Ave and Lansdowne Road this morning, around 815am, daylight, and a red light for the cars when the walk signal was on. Driver headed eastbound ended up slamming on his breaks in the middle of the intersection, right when I was in the middle of the crosswalk. I should say, I’ve crossed this crosswalk hundreds of times and never had this type of issue until this morning, but that’s all it takes sometimes. Such a needless tragedy. Feel for the family.

 

And sometimes exuberant (and very occasionally impaired and/or distracted) youth cross when it's not safe or cars cannot be expected or are not possibly able to stop.

 

It can be errors both ways.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2021 - 01:06 PM.

[marks_28]

Yup, maybe we need to have lower speed limits, or design streets to facilitate lower speeds, so it’s more likely drivers can stop in that scenario.

[Victoria Watcher]

Why not restrict vehicle travel after dark to essential trips only?

[pontcanna]

'I have never felt this much pain': Teen dies after being struck by vehicle in Saanich crosswalk

Dec. 8, 2021

A teenager who was struck by a vehicle in a Saanich crosswalk on Monday has died.

Kaydence Bourque, 16, was crossing the street in a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Cedar Hill Cross Road and Merriman Drive around 9:45 p.m. when he was hit by a driver.

The Reynolds Secondary student was rushed to Victoria General Hospital in critical condition. On Wednesday, Saanich police confirmed he had died.

In a statement posted to her Facebook account Tuesday, Crystal Bourque said her son had just got off the bus when he was struck less than "100 feet from our front door."

She said her son never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday.

 

Kaydence Bourque, 16

"His body is being kept alive until Thursday morning at 5:30 a.m. when his organs will be used to save up to eight people," the mother wrote. "I have never felt this much pain in all my life. I have not slept in over 40 hours now and won’t leave his side until the very end. I don’t know if I will ever recover from this."

 

More: https://vancouverisl...swalk-1.5698844
 

[Victoria Watcher]

^ GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme...e48741c2235b9dd

[Victoria Watcher]

Community road safety advocates are planning a demonstration outside Saanich municipal hall Friday (Dec. 10) in the wake of the death of Kaydence Bourque, a teen who was struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk near his home on Monday.

 

The demonstration, set for 2 p.m., is being held to show solidarity for the 16-year-old Reynolds student and to call for better safety on Saanich roads, said organizer Philip Marciniak.

 

“I’d like to offer my condolences and thoughts to the family of the young person that lost their life, above all else. I walk around and cycle a lot and that has shaped my view on how badly lacking Saanich roads are,” Marciniak told Black Press Media, adding the tragic incident further demonstrates the need for urgent change.

 

 

 

https://www.vicnews....ned-for-friday/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2021 - 07:07 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

^ GoFundMe

https://www.gofundme...e48741c2235b9dd

 

Surpassed the $5,000 goal so they upped it to $15,000.

 

Now at $13,145.

[Redd42]

I'm going to get pitch forked for this...but this is a case of a young person putting too much faith in that cross walk and lights. Perhaps wearing dark clothing and distracted by their phone. There are no road changes that will protect you as a pedestrian against a car. I'm a driver and a pedestrian. I walk a lot most days. Never step in the path way of a car unless you are absolutely sure they are going to stop. Yes, many people drive too fast in the city, don't come to full stops, roll around corners, etc. But I can't change that. All I can do is change my pedestrian behaviour and that is watching out for cars. 

 

I've seen a few posts in other social media spaces vilifying the driver. That the young person could not be possibly at fault. Those nasty car drivers, its their bad distracted driving that caused this tragedy.

 

I hit someone many years ago with my car. Won't go in to details but it was in no way my fault. The pedestrian (and another vehicle) made a bunch of bad decisions that resulted in them connecting with my driver side bumper and bouncing off my wind shield. 

[Victoria Watcher]

I'm going to get pitch forked for this...but this is a case of a young person putting too much faith in that cross walk and lights. Perhaps wearing dark clothing and distracted by their phone. There are no road changes that will protect you as a pedestrian against a car. I'm a driver and a pedestrian. I walk a lot most days. Never step in the path way of a car unless you are absolutely sure they are going to stop. Yes, many people drive too fast in the city, don't come to full stops, roll around corners, etc. But I can't change that. All I can do is change my pedestrian behaviour and that is watching out for cars.

 

I will agree with this, most likely, and we will never likely know exactly what happened.

 

Very tragic though, probably a 1/10,000 thing.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 December 2021 - 08:04 PM.

[Mike K.]

Schools could do a better job of reminding students to wear reflective items on their clothes or have lights illuminated by night. Not a single high school student that walks past my home on these dark nights is in any way illuminated. They are completely dark, every night, the same faces. I’ve spoken to a couple that pass by the driveway when I happen to be down there, but the suggestion falls on deaf ears.

Maybe it’s not cool? I don’t know, but it defies common sense.

[aastra]

I've played the-pedestrian-or-cyclist-who-nearly-gets-hit many more times than I've played the-driver-who-nearly-hits-them. But I've told the story on here before about the time I was riding my bike at night with multiple headlights and I still nearly crashed head-on with another cyclist who was coming at me the wrong way with no lights and no reflection (and while carrying something under one arm). I didn't see him until the last moment. And he cursed me out for not paying attention.

 

Anyway, a longtime Victorian once told me he deliberately chose not to wear any reflection while walking at night, for reasons of personal safety. That was years ago. Make of it what you will.

[Redd42]

There is at least one cross walk (think maybe on Cloverdale?) where those lights flash all the time. So the driver might not have assumed there was a pedestrian just because the lights were flashing.

[Redd42]

Anyway, a longtime Victorian once told me he deliberately chose not to wear any reflection while walking at night, for reasons of personal safety. That was years ago. Make of it what you will.

 

Explain this to me. Because he wanted to be invisible and there for couldn't be attacked because he couldn't be seen?

 

Those who are invisible then have a very strong responsibility to look out for themselves. Stay the heck away from cars. Watch for them, let them go (even if you supposedly have the right of way) and only step in to a road way when you are sure no cars are coming your way.

[aastra]

Yes, in effect he was saying they can't give you trouble if they don't see you. We used to have big arguments about this because I was doing a lot of night riding and my philosophy about safety at night was very different.

 

But you know what? He actually was the sort of person who tended to have more than his fair share of unpleasant incidents. So maybe he was right about what worked for him. He was a very punchable guy. Something about his face and his voice and his manner... it's like he was just goading you to do it. Very similar to Mike K. in that regard.

[Mike K.]

I turn my lights off when I see aastra coming, just for this reason.

[Victoria Watcher]

The new GoFundMe goal is now $25,000.

Over $23,000 raised.

[Victoria Watcher]

A Reynolds Secondary student who died after being struck by a vehicle Monday night on Cedar Hill Cross Road played the alto saxophone in band, had a great sense of humour and was very vocal in class, say his classmates.

 

Kaydence Bourque, 16, was about 30 metres from his Merriman Drive home in Saanich when he was hit by a vehicle at 9:45 p.m. in a marked and lighted crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road. He was rushed to Victoria General Hospital in critical condition, and died the next day.

 

https://www.timescol...osswalk-4843340

 

 

 

Kaydence Bourque had just got off the bus and was less than 100 feet from his home when he was hit by a vehicle at 9:45 p.m. at the lighted crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road and Merriman Drive, according to a Facebook post from his mother, Crystal Bourque. VIA FACEBOOK

 

 

 

What bus?  I'm not sure I can find one near there.

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 December 2021 - 06:02 PM.

[newbie_01]

#17 PM route has a stop there - https://bctransit.co...erview?route=17

though the stop is only on the north side of the street and wouldn't require crossing Cedar Hill X Rd.  to get to Merriman Dr.

Edited by newbie_01, 09 December 2021 - 06:24 PM.