Boy, 12, seriously injured, girl hurt after snowplow topples Whitby school fence
One child is 12, according to a source, and suffering head injuries
Author of the article:
Jack Boland, Jenny Yuen
Publishing date:
Feb 16, 2021 • 18 hours ago • 2 minute read
Noel Septimo is pictured at the location where two Whitby school children were hurt on Feb. 16, 2021, when a snowplow topped a chain-link fence. He helped dig the children out. Photo by Jack Boland /Toronto Sun
Article content
A 12-year-old boy suffered serious injuries and a girl was also hurt when a snowplow toppled a fence at a Whitby public school Tuesday morning.
Durham Regional Police reported that “the injuries were caused by snow that had been pushed by a snowplow” at a townhouse complex adjacent to Julie Payette Public School, near Dundas and Brock Sts., at around 9:40 a.m.
The children were playing on the school property next to the fence line at the time, Const. Conrad Wong said.
Advertisement
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
According to a source, the boy was found suffering from head injuries after being trapped for 15 minutes. Police confirmed he was transported to a local hospital with “serious injuries.”
A girl “roughly the same age” was also hurt and was treated on scene by paramedics for minor injuries, Wong said.
Noel Septimo, a resident in the townhouse complex next to the school, said he was shovelling his driveway when he heard cries for help. A snowplow operator came running up to him to ask for assistance.
Advertisement
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
When Septimo ran to the snowplow down the street from his townhouse, he saw the huge mound of snow that had buried the two children.
“Somebody was screaming. And I ran over with him and helped to push up the fence,” said Septimo. “It was really heavy and the kids were stuck there.”
As the pair worked frantically to free the children — digging them out with Septimo’s shovels — other people came to their assistance. Police and paramedics arrived a short time later.
Septimo got the girl out first and kept asking “is there another, is there another?”
The boy was trapped deeper under the snow and the chain-link fence and had to be dug out.
The boy’s father told CP24 that parents have had safety concerns about the fence that separates the schoolyard from the townhouse complex. He added it was broken by a snowplow last year.
Area resident — Krista Garrett — said what happened was “horrible, it’s horrible.”
“I really not happy about it,” said Garrett, who wondered aloud what the snowplow was doing in the neighbourhood.
Amanda Levy, who lives in the townhouse complex, said she wasn’t sure what had happened initially.
“I was looking out my back door and saw all the cruisers coming into the school area, but I didn’t know what was going on,” said Levy.
The Ministry of Labour has been notified.
One child is 12, according to a source, and suffering head injuries
torontosun.com