Along a quiet back alley in the Northeast Calgary community of Taradale, more than a dozen family members gathered in a circle inside a garage.
Just steps away, the night before, the youngest member of their family, one–year-old Anahat Gill, lost her life after being hit by a truck.
Family members fought through tears, detailing Anahat as the light of the neighbourhood – quick to brighten anyone’s day with a smile or wave.
A month from Thursday, she would have turned two years old.
Calgary police say the tragedy happened just before 7 p.m. Monday in the alley of the 600 block of Taradale Drive.
Calgary police said the accident happened Monday evening in this alley in the 600 block of Taradale Drive northeast.
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Investigators believe a white pickup truck, being driven by a man in his 30s, was travelling west through the alley before the driver made a turn to continue north, striking the toddler.
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Family say Anahat and her six-year-old sister were returning home from playing in the back lane — Anahat pushing a stroller full of toys, while her sister rode a scooter. Their grandmother was walking alongside them.
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They say one of the toys fell out of Anahat’s stroller just outside the garage door. When she went back to get it, she was struck by the truck, just out of arm’s reach of her grandmother.
Unfortunately, police said about 90 minutes later that she had succumbed to her injuries.
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The driver remained at the scene.
Gill’s family members did not want to be identified, but believe speed-mitigating infrastructure such as speed bumps or lane narrowing may have prevented this tragedy.
While police say neither drugs nor alcohol are considered factors in the crash, they did not specifically rule out speed.
Staff Sgt. Andy Woodward of the CPS traffic unit said it’s important for drivers to be alert at all times and eliminate any distractions.
“The primary function obviously for a driver is to be aware of what they’re doing. I think what we have to understand is that what wasn’t there yesterday could well be there today, so really what you should be doing as your observations is to make sure that you are aware of exactly where you’re driving.”
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The posted limit for back lanes in Calgary is 15 km/h.
Police haven’t laid charges yet but say that could still be possible.
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