Vancouver teen hit by car left with ‘life-altering injuries’: VPD

Vancouver police say a 15-year-old student who was hit by a car in the West Point Grey area Tuesday suffered “serious and life-altering injuries.”

The teen was hit while she was crossing West 16th Avenue near Wallace Street around 2 p.m., around the end of the school day.

She was taken to the hospital where she remained for treatment as of Wednesday, according to the VPD.

VPD Const. Tania Visintin says the teen is expected to survive but notes her injuries are significant.

“From what I do know, right now, today, these injuries were very, very serious. At the time, yesterday, when this occurred, it was life-threatening. It’s now going to be life-altering. What that means, we don’t know, but we do believe the impact of this collision is going to affect her greatly,” she said Wednesday.

Police say the driver of the grey Mercedes stayed at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

Visintin says impairment was not believed to have been a factor in the crash, though she would not rule out speed or other factors.

“How this incident happened or whose fault it was, so to speak, that’s all going to be part of the investigation, and also why we’re appealing to the public,” she said Wednesday.

“Our Collision Investigation Unit is taking the lead on this investigation. We did immediately deploy our school liaison officers to the school to provide support to the other students.”

The crash happened right outside Lord Byng Secondary School. Visintin says that area isn’t one of concern for the VPD, though she notes police will be looking at crosswalks, traffic lights, and the area as part of the investigation.

Meanwhile, Vision Zero, an organization that pushes for zero deaths or serious injuries on Metro Vancouver streets, says the city needs better infrastructure enforcement against speeding in school zones.

“This is every parent’s nightmare,” the organization’s traffic safety advocate Lucy Maloney said. “This unfortunately is a tragic way of highlighting how important it is that adult decision-makers provide infrastructure to give our kids safer routes to school.”

Police are asking anyone who may have seen what happened or those with dashcam footage from the area around the time of the collision to contact investigators at 604-717-3012.

With files from Cecilia Hua.