A teenage girl is dead and two others have been seriously injured, along with the rider of a motorcycle, following a traffic accident just before noon today in Surrey, B.C.
RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet said the motorcyclist was travelling southbound on 128 Street near 68 Avenue at 11:30 a.m. PT when he struck the three teenage girls as they were crossing the street.
School officials have confirmed the three girls were students at nearby Princess Margaret Secondary School.
"It's obviously a terrible tragedy," says Doug Strachan, a spokesperson for the Surrey School District.
"Our focus is now on the families, as well as the students and staff in the school " he said, adding the school will bring in counsellors for the students tomorrow.
Surrey teens crash
Three teens and the rider of a motorcycle were injured in a crash in Surrey on Wednesday around noon. (CBC)
A nearby resident told CBC News people in the area don't feel comfortable walking along the road, but since there is not a a crosswalk along that particular stretch of 128 Street, people often jaywalk.
"Jaywalking is really really dangerous," said Kuljeet Uppal.
The City of Surrey says in 2010 Princess Margaret Secondary School recommended a crosswalk between 68 Avenue and 72 Avenue, after all schools in Surrey were asked by the city to assess the safety of surrounding roads.
But after the city did its own assessment, and based on the volume of traffic and number of pedestrians, a crosswalk was not deemed necessary
The City of Surrey says that decision may now be revisited.
