The mother of a 15-year-old girl killed in a traffic accident earlier this month is speaking out about her family’s grief.
Nicole Burnat told CTV News Toronto Tuesday that she has been left reeling since Dec. 2, the evening her daughter was killed.
Madeleine Petrielli was walking home with her boyfriend near Glen Erin Drive and Britannia Road in Mississauga shortly before 8:30 p.m. that night when she was fatally struck.
Though paramedics rushed to her hospital in critical condition, she later succumbed to her injuries.
Burnat told CTV News Toronto that there are ‘contradicting stories’ about whether her young daughter and her boyfriend were crossing the road on an amber or red light.
“I’m angry at the man who hit my daughter, who was driving. I’ve driven it so many times… I’ve put people in the road… I just don’t see if he was facing forward how he couldn’t see two kids crossing the street,” she said.
Investigators determined that speed was not a factor in the collision. The driver of the vehicle also remained on scene and has been cooperating with police.
No charges have been laid.
“It’s hard,” Burnat said, choking back tears. “You want to go before your children. You want to see your children grow up.”
Mississisauga hasn’t released statistics on pedestrian fatalities this year but according to Ontario Provincial Police, the number of pedestrian deaths is the highest its been in eight years with a total of 30 fatalities on OPP-patrolled roads as of Nov. 18.
Toronto marked one of the most dangerous nights for pedestrians and cyclists on Dec. 6 where a total of 15 people were struck by vehicles in one day. The injuries ranged from minor to life-threatening and one collision involving an elderly woman, who was struck near Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue, proved to be fatal.
She became the 76th pedestrian death for Toronto in 2016.
After that night, Toronto Mayor John Tory called an emergency meeting with Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee Coun. Jaye Robinson, Toronto Police Services and the city’s Transportation Services to discuss the alarming number of pedestrian-related fatalities and collisions.
“It starts first and foremost with people being more aware – stop talking on your phone, stop speeding, when it’s raining and dark take extra care. From there, it goes on to things we can continue to do with signage, speed limits and different things that are going to make sure that pedestrians, cyclists and drivers remain safe in a very busy city,” he said.
Following the late-night meeting, Tory pledged to fast track efforts on creating pedestrian safety corridors, launch a public education campaign in the new year regarding road safety and push the provincial government harder on implementing traffic cameras.
Meanwhile, on Burnat’s kitchen table, gift bags and presents purchased for her daughter’s birthday lay unopened.
Petrielli, who was buried last Friday, would have turned 16 years old tomorrow.
“She put a list together, thinking that I would only buy a few things, but I ordered everything,” Burnat said.
She was “beautiful inside and out,” her mother said.
In honour of her daughters sweet sixteen, Burnat said she’s planned an ice skating party for all of Petrielli’s friends.
“It’s going to be okay. I have the support of her friends at school,” she said through tears. “I sometimes feel guilty that they’re texting me because I know they have homework and their own lives.”
