A Toronto family is devastated after their daughter was struck and killed by a school bus and wants legislation to prevent this from ever happening to another family again.
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Three people have been killed in the GTA since June through alleged negligent school bus driving and lawyer Mike Smitiuch, representing the Turner family, wants improved safety to stop this from possibly happening again.
An 84-year-old woman was struck and killed in Richmond Hill on Nov. 5 (the driver fled the scene) and a six-year-old boy was struck and killed in Vaughan on June 19.
Rachel Turner, 22, was fatally struck by a bus near her home on Oct. 9.
Toronto Police said late last month that the investigation into that incident is ongoing. It wasn’t immediately clear if any charges had been laid.
Courageously standing side-by-side on the front driveway of their Bingham Ave. home just south of Kingston Rd. in the Beach neighbhourhood on Wednesday, Rachel’s mom, Susan, dad, Leon, and her boyfriend, Matthew Davis, spoke about Rachel in front a large portrait of her taken from a trip to Australia.
“She was a big sister and a guiding light, for her brother and sister,” Leon said. “And now they have to deal with not having that anymore.”
“I just don’t want Rachel to be a statistic,” her dad added.
The portrait taken by Matthew shows Rachel, a Wilfrid Laurier University graduate, looking over her shoulder like a smiling movie star with palm trees in the background and a brilliant sunset bathing her in a warm glow.
Susan can still visualize the last time she saw her daughter on that terrible day.
Rachel was headed to work around 4 p.m. on Oct. 9, after baking scones for her boyfriend’s family Thanksgiving dinner five minutes before heading out the door.
She was headed to work when she stepped off the curb at the crosswalk at Kingswood Rd. on the north side of Kingston Rd. when an eastbound-travelling school bus turned left and northbound, striking their daughter in the head with its extended front sideview mirrors.
“Five minutes later at the top of our street, she was gone. She was killed,” Susan said.
“This is hell for me.”
On their front lawn, she held her daughter’s celebration of life card in her hand.
Inside it were pages from her daughter’s journal she found after her death with a note to all her friends — “the Tidal Wave Girls” — outlining her “Top 10 Keys to Success.”
She then read aloud from the card: “No. 2 — Don’t sweat the small things,” “block out all negativity” and “find people” who make you feel happy, the card read.
Her father said his daughter was embarking on her MBA at Laurier in business administration.
Four days after she was struck, she died in hospital, never full regaining consciousness (some solace came from the facat she donated her organs to help five others in need.)
“Nobody should have to go through what we are going through,” Leon said.
“I have know idea what was going through the driver’s mind. It was a careless decision,” he added. “I don’t know if city congestion played a role in it. Everybody is frustrated by how long it take to get anywhere now.”
Her dad believes the driver was “just trying to beat traffic,” which is very heavy on roadways, especially that section of Kingston Rd. at 4 p.m.
Smitiuch wants technology changes such as automatic braking systems, sensors and cameras made to newer vehicles, and better driver training.
Currrently, he said, all that is required to operate a school bus is to have valid driver’s licence and be 21 years of age. Additionally, the lawyer added, even if a driver has six demerit points on their record, they can still operate a school bus.
“If they are driving kids around, they should ensure they have the highest safety standards,” Smitiuch said.
Since her death, the Rachel Turner Legacy Fund has now raised over $153,000.