Icy roads are being blamed for a car accident that killed an eight-year-old Ontario girl on Christmas Eve.
A 28-year-old woman lost control of her Ford pick-up truck and slid off the road into a pond in Durham Region, just east of Toronto. The truck, which was also carrying the young girl, overturned and became partially submerged in the water.
With the help of a passerby, the woman was able to get out of the vehicle.
However, despite the efforts of several passing motorists, they were unable to free the girl, who was submerged in the water.
The girl's body was eventually removed by two firefighters who suffered hypothermia in the ordeal.
The eight-year-old, from Cannington, Ont., was pronounced dead at the scene.
"It's always tragic when you lose a child, but to lose them in this manner and at Christmas time is just a triple kick in the guts," said Cindy Flynn, a spokesperson with Durham Regional Police, in an interview with The Canadian Press.
The woman, a relative of the young girl, was treated for minor injuries at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Ont. and then released.
Flynn said the girl's family is coping with the loss with the help of police victims' services.
"It's a very close-knit community," she said. "I imagine the community will rally around them as well, quite a bit."
The accident happened just before 8 p.m. Monday in Brock Township on Regional Road 12, near Highway 12. The scene was closed for several hours as police conducted an investigation.
Police said in a news release alcohol was not a factor in the crash and that road conditions were very icy at the time of the accident.
