Classmates of a teen who was struck and killed by a truck on the first day of school are wearing purple today, to remember Violet Liang on what would have been her 15th birthday.
Liang was walking to C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute on Tuesday, when she was hit by a large commercial truck at Sentinel Rd. and Lamberton Blvd.
Police say the truck had been travelling north on Sentinel and turned left onto Lamberton when Liang was hit. She died at the scene.
The teen was described as funny, intelligent, beautiful and “so full of joy” in a post on the school’s Facebook page.
“The impact she’s made on people’s lives is remarkable and I know she will truly be missed,” student Jessica Quino wrote in a Facebook post late Tuesday night.
“To commemorate Violet we ask if everyone as a student body could wear the colour purple tomorrow.”
Liang’s death has shaken classmates at C.W. Jefferys.
“(It’s) really sad for someone to lose their life like that at a young age,” one student told CTV Toronto on Wednesday.
“I’m very sorry that she lost her life,” another student said, fighting back tears.
Investigators are reviewing footage of the incident captured by a surveillance camera mounted on a nearby home.
The footage, obtained by CTV News, shows a truck passing by the home after making a turn and, seconds later, a man – believed to be the driver – running back to the scene.
The truck driver was later seen pacing at the scene of the accident, clutching his chest, before collapsing onto the back of a police cruiser.
“It’s too early to determine whether or not she was actually crossing at the appropriate area of the roadway,” said Traffic Services Const. Clint Stibbe. “We know she was in the area based on the residual evidence at the scene.”
Liang was killed about 70 minutes before the school day began.
According to a neighbour, Liang often went to school early to help her teachers prepare for class.
C.W. Jefferys principal Monday Gala said Liang was a “90 per cent student.”
“We are talking about a student that really enriched this building, a fantastic student that did very well in our classes,” he told reporters. “A fantastic student with whom I shared a few really good moments with in the school.”
Gala said grief counsellors were at the school on Tuesday to help students and staff cope with the tragedy.
Ontario Education Minister Liz Sandals said the accident is an “unfortunate reminder” that motorists need to be extra careful on the roads as students head back to school.
With files from CTV Toronto’s Tamara Cherry and John Musselman
