Child struck by car in Southlands, RNC say speed not a factor

As she sits by her six-year-old's bedside at the Janeway children's hospital, Angie Maher questions whether more could have been done to prevent what that put him there, even though police say speed was not a factor.

I guess he was jolting out onto the street and a car hit him.- Angie Maher

Her son was on his way to a friend's house Tuesday evening, walking with his grandmother on Treetop Drive in the Southlands neighbourhood of St. John's.

That's when every parent's nightmare happened — her child was struck by a car.

"It just all happened so fast before she could even get any words out," Maher said. "I guess he was jolting out onto the street and a car hit him."

After being rushed to hospital, he's now recovering with broken bones and possibly a punctured lung. Maher said he will continue to get more x-rays and cat scans throughout Wednesday to look for other possible injuries.

Police say driver wasn't speeding

According to a member of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, the driver was not speeding at the time the vehicle struck Maher's son. Police said the collision was considered a case of pedestrian error as the child unexpectedly ran out into the street into oncoming traffic.

Maher says paramedics at the scene told her the driver was going 50 or 60 km/hr, and questions why the speed limit is allowed to be as high as 50 km/h in a residential neighbourhood. She said her son flew through the air when he was struck, which shows the vehicle was going too fast, even if the driver was following the posted limit.

Coun. Sandy Hickman told CBC that the city is concerned about what happened, and is continuously working to put in measures to change driving habits in residential neighbourhoods. He said putting traffic calming measures in all areas is not possible, and says drivers and pedestrians also have a responsibility to be safe on the roads.

Mother had previous concerns

A nightmare for any mother, the incident is especially frustrating for Maher, who has been petitioning the city for weeks to do something about dangerous driving in the area where her son was struck.

"You can ask any mother on that street. Everybody has the same concerns," she said.

In June, Maher contacted officials at the City of St. John's to voice her concerns about speeding drivers near Treetop Drive, and says she was told to start a petition which staff could then review.

She did start the petition, calling for traffic measures to be put in place and the 50 km/hr speed limit be lowered. It didn't generate much interest, so she's been putting her own child at play sign in the area to try and deter drivers.

Now that her child has been struck and sent to hospital, she's taken to social media to blast the city for its lack of action.

She said since her son was struck Tuesday night, she now has more than 500 signatures on her petition.

"Unfortunately it took a situation like this to get the attention," she said.