Montreal family wants safer roads after teen hit by car on his way to school

Ever since Charlie Shein was hit by a car while crossing the street to go to school, his family has been trying to figure out how to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

“I was pretty sore, I was in a bit of pain. I was a little scared,” says Shein, 14, a student at Royal West Academy.

Shein was walking to his high school last week when a car collided with his side, sending him flying and landing on his lower back.

His mom, Dr. Samara Zavalkoff says he got lucky — his injuries were minor.

But being a physician in a pediatric intensive care unit, she knows it could have been much worse.

“He could have been in the ICU for weeks. He could have been killed,” says Zavalkoff, who works at the Montreal’s Children’s Hospital.

She’s not alone in her concerns.

“During rush hour traffic, the cars don’t stop. They crawl through the intersection. They block the intersection. They don’t take the stop sign seriously,” says Julian Feldman, another parent who lives in the area and an English Montreal School Board (EMSB) commissioner.

The area parents say is dangerous is located at the intersection of Westminster and Ainslie. Zavalkoff says the driver who hit her son stopped at the first crosswalk and then drove through the second, thinking it was clear. Westminster Avenue is a major artery: it leads to two highways, and also leads to commuter train tracks. In the morning, it can be particularly problematic.

Parents are calling for a crossing guard to be placed in the area.

“There’s been a lot of talk and analysis and discussion, and now it’s time for action,” Zavalkoff says.

Michael Cohen, spokesperson for the EMSB agrees.

“We’ve spoken about this corner before, and we’re hoping that maybe sometimes, it’s a wake up call when you have a near death experience, which this was,” Cohen says.

The Montreal West city councillor responsible for public security says crossing guards are under police jurisdiction.

Montreal police said crossing guards are available for elementary schools, meaning Royal West Academy is not eligible.

The councillor added a meeting will be held in the coming weeks, between the town, school board and police to find a feasible solution.