A Montgomery middle school student has been identified as the person killed Monday afternoon after two cars collided and one went up on to a median at Mariner Way and Riverview Crescent in Coquitlam.
Within a day of the crash, a memorial had sprung up at the site for Deb Seol, 13, of Coquitlam.
By Wednesday morning, shards of glass and plastic still littered the corner while the scene of the accident had been transformed into an impromptu memorial — bouquets of red and white roses, yellow chrysanthemums and daisies were piled against an electrical box.
Both strangers and those who knew the avid athlete had come to express their anguish and support.
“Do not need to know you to know a life lost too soon," reads one note.
“Our hearts ache with sadness for your loss,” reads another.
The electrical box is a collage of the young woman’s life. In a strip of pictures from a photo booth, she's seen goofing around with a girl who appears to be her sister. In another photo, she is on lakeside dock, smiling with a group of people.
Yet another picture shows a baby in a white and pink hanbok — a traditional Korean outfit — hiding among mounds of dragon fruit, oranges, apples and watermelon (likely the 100th day celebration of life, an important landmark for any Korean infant).
In between it all, someone has adorned the box with a handful of life-size plastic butterflies.
According to Coquitlam RCMP, the accident that took her life happened just before 3 p.m. Monday. Seol and two other girls, ages 10 and 17, as well as two boys, 11 and six, were on their way to nearby Hickey Park.
The group of five was waiting to cross Mariner Way, standing on a raised concrete island, when a grey, southbound Dodge Charger trying to turn left onto Riverview Crescent collided with a black BMW sedan travelling north on Mariner. The BMW was sent spinning out of control and into the group of children.
Tom Martinson was at home when he heard the helicopter circling overhead. When he went outside, he saw the emergency vehicles and debris scattered across the intersection.
“It seems like people going up the hill want to punch it,” he said. “I know there’s been problems here before.”
With school out for spring break, public reaction has been relatively muted. But many in the community see this tragic accident as the latest sign that road safety in the neighbourhood needs to be taken more seriously.
“We’ve got it bad,” said Will Davis, a local resident, father of five and chair of the parent advisory councils at Dr. Charles Best secondary, Maillard middle and Rochester elementary.
Davis said area residents have spent years trying to improve traffic safety. In the past the RCMP has deployed “Constable Scarecrow” along Mariner Way but even that has had little affect, he said.
Police, School District 43 and community groups have come together to try and educate the community about the dangers of speeding and reckless driving but it’s a slow process, said Davis.
A day after the accident, one road worker 200 metres from the accident site said not much has changed.
“Cars were going well over 50 km/h past our construction zone,” he wrote on The Tri-City News’ Facebook page. “It’s unacceptable and negligent. This intersection isn't the problem, its the unsafe drivers using it.
Both the RCMP and the BC Coroners Service are investigating the accident.
