Family of two girls hit by minivan calling for change to northwest Calgary intersection

Family of two sisters hit by a minivan while in a pedestrian crossing is speaking out, hoping for change so it doesn't happen to anyone else.

**GRAPHIC WARNING: Some of the photos in this story may be disturbing to some readers**

The family of two sisters hit by a minivan while walking in a pedestrian crossing last week is speaking out.

The collision happened Thursday morning on Dalhousie Drive at Dalgleish Road in northwest Calgary.

Alejandra Graham, 18, was walking her little sister, 10-year-old Camilla Graham, to school.

The two sustained serious injuries and had to undergo major surgeries.

To make matters worse, they’re in separate hospitals, with Alejandra at the Foothills Medical Centre and Camilla at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

“They love each other so much; they support each other. They have an incredible bond right now. It’s been super, super hard being in separate hospitals, that they can’t see each other. Through FaceTime, every single time they wake up, the first thing they’re asking is, ‘How’s my sister?’” said Raquel Mairena, their aunt.

Their grandmother, Deborah Graham, wants to see the light-up pedestrian crossing replaced by traffic lights.

“It’s a concern with that crosswalk. There’s a lot of children crossing there. It would be devastating for another family to go through what my family is facing now,” she said.

She has shared her concerns with the city but also plans to start a petition and reach out to the area councillor.

GoFundMe

The family has set up a GoFundMe for the girls to help with any future medical or rehabilitation costs that aren’t covered by insurance.

Pedestrian collisions

While this collision wasn’t fatal, police say it’s been a deadly year for pedestrians on Calgary roads.

“We’ve had 13 pedestrian collisions which have been fatalities this year. … One of the issues we have is regarding people that just stepped in front of vehicles. So, from a pedestrian point of view, they need to take some ownership in relation to the need to cross the road (safely),” said Staff Sgt. Andy Woodward with the Calgary Police Service traffic unit.

“From a driving point of view, if the driver sees a pedestrian on the side of the road, anticipate they might step across the road and reduce your speed.”

Jacob Lamb, assistant professor at the University of Calgary Schulich School of Engineering, says the size of vehicles has also contributed to the seriousness of collisions.

“Vehicles have been getting larger, more powerful and there’s been some research to show getting worse blind spots,” said Lamb.

Lamb says 90 per cent of vehicles on the roads in Alberta are larger makes, such as SUVs, trucks and minivans.

A decade ago, that stat was 75 per cent.

“Large-body vehicles tend to cause higher-severity collisions,” said Lamb.