Eight-Year-Old Girl Drowns After Terrible Car Crash Up North

[Dragon]

Eight-Year-Old Girl Drowns After Terrible Car Crash Up North
Tuesday December 25, 2007
CityNews.ca Staff
She was anticipating the coming of Santa and presents under the tree. But she never made it home for the holiday. A terrible Christmas Eve tragedy has left an 8-eight-year-old girl dead, a family grieving an unfathomable loss and even hardened police officers moved to tears.

It happened on the extremely icy roads near Cannington, Ont., not far from Lindsay, on Monday night. A mother driving eastbound on Regional Road 12, east of Highway 12, in the Township of Brock lost control of her black Ford pick-up truck and it skidded on some ice and swerved into a pond before flipping over. The 28-year-old woman was dazed but managed to climb out of the vehicle, which became submerged in three feet of water.

And then she noticed her daughter was still inside.

Passing motorists got out and tried desperately to reach the youngster trapped in the frigid water, but they simply couldn't get to her. Even rescue crews had difficulty in the sub-freezing conditions and two firefighters suffered hypothermia as they struggled heroically to pull her from the wreckage. By the time they managed to get her loose, it was too late - the child had drowned.

For police it was a horrifying start to a holiday that's supposed to be all about spending time with family. "In my 27 years, I've never seen such a tragic situation on a Christmas Eve," confirms Insp. Jamie Grant of Durham Regional Police. "The citizens were trying to pull the vehicle up and keep it out of the water. Unfortunately it sank deeper into the water and they were unable to lift the vehicle up and get the girl out."

A single rose bearing the message "Forever Love" (top left) marks the spot at the desolate scene where the accident happened. But it's not as desolate as the heartbreak at the house of a family who know their little girl will never be home for Christmas.

Police have confirmed alcohol wasn't a factor in the mishap. No names have been released, but authorities have taken the opportunity to remind motorists at this busy travel time of year to be aware of the conditions - and to drive based on the weather.

Thy're asking witnesses to call them at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5255.
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[mager]

Tragic loss, this is not something I would want to look forward to. Thank you Dragon for taking your time to post these informations.