Moncton student struck by truck near school in city's north end

A Moncton student was hit by a vehicle near a school in the city's north end on Friday morning, in an area where parents have long raised concerns over traffic.

In a letter to families, the Anglophone East School District said a student from Northrop Frye School was accidentallystruck by a vehicle while on a bicycle and taken to hospital by ambulance.

The collision was in the area of Twin Oaks Drive and Falcon Drive.

Superintendent Randolph MacLean called the incident "distressing" and said the district's thoughts are with the student and their family.The student's name and age were not disclosed by the school district or the police.

"Safety remains one of our core priorities, and we are investigating this incident with the appropriate authorities to ensure that our students continue to learn in a secure and supportive environment," he wrote.

MacLean said students were present at the time of the accident.

Students witness incident

Stephanie Patterson, a district spokesperson, said the incident occurred in the neighbourhood on the child's way to school. She said counselling services are being offered to support students and staff.

"Students travelling to Maplehurst also witnessed the incident so support was provided at Maplehurst as well," she said in an email.

Staff Sgt. Stefane Par-Lemire of Codiac RCMP said police responded to a call of a truck that hit a cyclist at about 7:50 a.m. Friday. He said fire and paramedics were already on scene and looking after the student, who was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

"It appears the student crossed the street without looking and was struck by the vehicle," Par-Lemire said.

He said RCMP interviewed several witnesses at the scene of the collision, including the driver of the truck.

Rachel Taylor, who has a son at Harrison Trimble High School and a daughter who goes to Maplehurst, said the collision outside the school is terrifyingfor parents.

"I let my daughter bike to school yesterday and now I don't want to again," she said.

Moncton's north end has three anglophone schools, including Northrop Frye, Evergreen Park and Maplehurst. There is also a francophone school nearby, cole Le Sommet.

Taylor said drivers in the area are regularly speeding and many families, like hers, opt to bus for safety reasons. Her road, Rural Estates Drive, doesn't have a sidewalk.

"You see passing all the time. People aren't stopping for buses. Nobody's paying enough attention and everybody's in a hurry."

Taylor said she'd like to see additional measures to deter speeding, such as additional law enforcement and cameras. She said an additional crossing guard could also help.

"It's very unsafe for our kids," she said. "The buses wouldn't be so crowded if we could trust them to walk."