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Mission mom furious after boy struck in crosswalk

Drivers warned to pay attention
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A Mission mom is furious after her son was struck in a crosswalk. (PEXELS PHOTO)

Susan Lind was just heading out for food after working an exhausting graveyard shift when her phone rang with news that would shake her to the core.

Lind’s five-year-old son had just been struck by a driver.

The caller, an area mom who knew her and her son, said the boy appeared to be OK but – of course – that’s not what Lind heard.

She was just a block away and made like Usain Bolt.

“I just ran,” Lind told the Record about the Nov. 2 incident. “I ran as fast as I could. Just because someone says your son is OK doesn’t matter. All I wanted was to be with my boy.”

Lind quickly arrived at the intersection of Cedar Street and 14th Avenue, spotting her son on the ground, his 11-year-old brother looking traumatized, plus an SUV and the “grandma” who was driving it.

Lind, showing great restraint, didn’t lash out at the elderly woman who was apologizing profusely – she just brushed by her to get to her son.

The incident happened when the driver – who had a child in the vehicle - turned left and struck Lind’s son.

Lind says the boys often walk the short distance to school and are well-trained on the rules of the road.

The two boys had waited at the intersection for the traffic signal to change that day so they could safely cross. Lind’s son was wearing a “poofy” yellow jacket.

“The driver was just not paying attention,” said Lind. “My kids were doing everything properly, everything that I had taught them.”

At first, Lind’s son seemed uninjured but she later noticed bruising on his ribs and so she took him to Mission Hospital. He is going to be OK.

Lind said that her older son took the incident hard, feeling “traumatized” by what happened.

“He feels responsible, but he’s not,” Lind said. “The driver is totally to blame.”

Lind is sharing her story just as a reminder to drivers to be better when on the road.

“Drivers need to be watching no matter what,” Lind said. “It could’ve been so much worse. Nobody’s life is worth being distracted.”

Mission RCMP Cpl. Jason Raaflaub also told the Record he wanted to take the opportunity to remind drivers and pedestrians alike, that with the darker winter mornings and evenings, to please take care to look for one another, especially at intersections.

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@shinebox44
chris.campbell@missioncityrecord.com

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Chris Campbell

About the Author: Chris Campbell

I joined the Victoria News hub as an editor in 2023, bringing with me over 30 years of experience from community newspapers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
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