Memorial set for mom, daughter killed in Hwy. 401 crash

They are being remembered as kind and generous.

On Thursday, family and friends of Sarah Payne, 42, and Freya Payne, 5, will gather for a memorial service for the two Londoners.

The mother and daughter were killed in a crash on Hwy. 401 near Dutton.

Sarah Payne wasan occupational therapist at ParkwoodHospital. Her husband, Michael Payne, is a doctor there, and the president of the Canadian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

"Sarah, an occupational therapist and an integral member of the (spinal cord injury) team at Parkwood,was loved by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting, working, and knowing her. She will be greatly missed," the association wrote on its website.

"Freya,a beautiful, engaging and wonderful five-year-old sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece, friend and best friend to her brother, will be forever missed."

• Mother and daughter killed in 401 crash west of London

The family was well-known in the community, and had ties to Prince Edward Island and Rondeau Park.

The crash happened when the family's van collided with a truck that crossed the median on the busy highway.

It sparked calls for concrete barriers on the highway to divide the east- and west-bound lanes.

The Payne's six-year-old son was pulled from the crash by emergency workers with non-life threatening injuries.

"(Michael Payne) has not left (his son's) bedside since the accident and the entire rehabilitation community is trying to make sense of the tragic event," the Canadian Assocation of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation wrote.

The memorial service is scheduled for Thursdayat 2 p.m. at First St. Andrews United Church in London.

Donations are being accepted to the London Food Bank and the L.M. Montgomery Land Trust in PEI.