Senior charged after 16-year-old struck, killed in marked crosswalk in Saanich
A senior driver who struck and killed a teenager last year in a marked crosswalk in Saanich, B.C., has been charged with a traffic offence in the crash.
Margarita Natalie Citron, born in 1950, is facing one count of driving without due care and attention.
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. (Crystal Bourque/Facebook)
Citron made her first court appearance Wednesday, one year after Kaydence Bourque, 16, was struck while crossing at the intersection of Cedar Hill Cross Road and Merriman Drive.
The Reynolds Secondary student was rushed to Victoria General Hospital in critical condition on the night of Dec. 6, 2021.
In a statement following the collision, Crystal Bourque said her son had just got off the bus when he was struck less than "100 feet from our front door."
The grieving mother said her son never regained consciousness after the crash and was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m. the following day.
The driver remained at the scene and co-operated with the police investigation, the Saanich Police Department said.
'HUGE HOLE'
Bourque's aunt, Sherri Edwards, told CTV News on Thursday her nephew's loss is felt constantly by the family.
"It’s the one-year anniversary and it’s been devastating," said Edwards. "Every anniversary, every birthday, every holiday, there’s a huge hole in all of our hearts."
Edwards got a tattoo to honour her nephew.
"It's his heartbeat," she said. "It’s his EKG from the hospital."
Citron is scheduled to appear in a Victoria court on Jan 4, and Bourque's family is concerned she will only face a fine.
Edwards says she would like to see Citron's licence revoked completely.
"Our family is shattered by the single motor vehicle charge laid in regards to the death of our beloved Kaydence," the teen's mother said in a statement Thursday.
"A vehicle can be used as a weapon and thusly we feel the consequences of killing a child should be much greater," she said.
SAFETY UPGRADES
Since the crash, the District of Saanich has taken steps to improve road safety along the corridor leading up to the crosswalk.
Flexible bollards have been erected, flashing lights at the crosswalk have been upgraded and a new streetlight has been installed above the crosswalk to increase nighttime visibility.
The new safety upgrades along the street are pictured. Dec. 8, 2022. (CTV News)
The family says more needs to be done.
"We very much would like to see a reduction in the speed limit," said Edwards. "There are multiple schools in the area and there [are] a lot of children that live in that area."
Currently, the speed limit is 50 km/h. The family would like to see that dropped to 30 km/h.
In early 2023, Saanich will embark on a safety study for the Cedar Hill Cross Road corridor. Included in that study is an evaluation of the speed limit.
"He will always, forever, be missed," said Edwards.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.