A Burnaby family is grieving the loss of their six-year-old daughter after a crash at a Port Coquitlam strip mall Sunday afternoon.
Six-year-old Kianna Moreau was with her mom at the PoCo Shopping Mall at about 3 p.m. on April 19 when a blue Honda CRV turning from Shaughnessy Street on to Lions Way lost control and hit four pedestrians.
They were all taken to hospital, where Kianna died Monday morning. Her mother remains in hospital in serious condition, along with one other person. A fourth person hit was released from hospital Sunday evening with minor injuries.
A memorial with flowers, cards and brightly coloured butterfly balloons have been placed at the edge of the parking lot, in view of the Lions Park entrance that was bustling with families over the sunny weekend.
A fundraising site has been set up to help pay for a memorial for the little girl and to support the family; by Tuesday morning, nearly half of the $10,000 goal had been raised.
Messages of condolence are also being left on the Softball Center website for the girl's father, Olivier Moreau, who plays with the Combat/Northwest Athletics team in the U.S.
"You were loved by so many but no love will ever be greater then the love of your father Olivier Moreau," reads a message on the site. "The world has lost a precious angel that will now be watching over her loved ones and especially taking every step with her father."
The accident has raised concerns about the safety of the busy parking lot, which is often used by people who aren't shopping at the mall.
Stephen Boucher, the PoCo Shopping Mall property manager, was at the scene Tuesday morning and watched a handful of parents use the parking lot and then cross Lions Way avoiding both crosswalks within half a block to drop off children at the Lions Park Montessori facility.
"This is exactly the problem. People are parking here and not paying attention," Boucher said, noting the lot is private property and is for customers of the shopping mall and not for daycare drop-off or park users.
The Lions Park Montessori manager said the school has a designated underground parking area and parents are reminded frequently not to use the PoCo Shopping Mall lot.
The driver of the vehicle, a Coquitlam woman in her 40s who has a learner's permit, was not injured and she is co-operating with police.
Coquitlam RCMP, with the assistance of the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Services (ICARS), is investigating and looking into any factors that contributed to the collision.
"We're hoping to speak to anyone about what happened," said Cpl. Jamie Chung. "It was a nice day, so there were lots of people out in the area."
Officers would like to speak to witnesses who haven't talked to investigators. Anyone with information can contact Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and quote file number 2015-12195, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or via www.solvecrime.ca.
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