Video below
Pedestrian Collision Port Hope December 2, 2020 – YouTube
St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School
St Anthony Catholic School Port Hope December 2, 2020 – YouTube
The community of Port Hope and area is reeling after one child is died and his younger sister airlifted to a Toronto hospital following a horrific accident near Campbellcroft in the Municipality of Port Hope.
At approximately 8:05 a.m. emergency services were called to the area of 7th Line just west of Woodvale School Road, east of County Road 28.
It appears a vehicle travelling westbound on the 7th Line came over a hill.
A school bus was heading east and was stopped near the bottom of the hill and was picking up two children outside their home who attend St. Anthony Catholic School in Port Hope.
The vehicle lost control and hit the two children. The vehicle then rolled, landing upside down in the ditch south ditch.
Emergency services including Northumberland OPP, Port Hope Fire Department and Northumberland County Paramedics attended the collision.
A 12-year-old boy died at the scene. His 10-year-old sister was rushed by police escort to Northumberland Hills Hospital where she was airlifted to a Toronto trauma centre.
The 17-year-old driver of the car was taken to hospital suffering from shock.
The 7th Line was closed down until approximately 5 p.m. which OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigators examined the scene.
The community of Port Hope and students at the school are in shock.
“We don’t have words to express our shock and sadness over this tragedy,” said St. Anthony Catholic School Principal Karen McCormack.
“The family has asked for everyone’s prayers at this time.”
McCormack said the shock of losing a classmate is, “going to bring a variety of different feelings for families and their children.”
Superintendent Pepe Garieri said the board is expressing their deepest sympthies to the family and all involved.
“The students here – many of them are in disbelief. They are in shock over what’s taken place.”
Garieri said the tragedy has impacted not only the school but also reaching out to Cobourg and beyond.
“We know that the family is well involved in the community and is connected to St. Mary Catholic Secondary School, there is connections to the hockey community, there is connections to their previous school in Campbellford.
The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic School Board brought in their crisis response team, which consists of social workers, counsellors, teaching staff and principals.
Dec. 2, 2020
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As many of you are aware, there was a serious collision this morning that claimed the life of a St. Anthony CES student and sent his sister to the hospital with serious injuries.
Words cannot adequately express our profound shock and deep sorrow over this terrible event. The family has asked for your prayers at this time.
I extend our prayers and most sincere sympathies to the family and to all who have been directly or indirectly impacted by what has occurred. Out of a sign of respect, we have lowered the flags to half-mast at all schools in the Board.
The Board’s crisis response team has been at St. Anthony since this morning to support staff and students at this difficult time. That support, including social workers, will remain in place at the school in the days to come as needed.
We are aware that this incident reaches far into our community. Regardless of connection to the individuals involved, such sad and disturbing news so close to home may bring about a variety of heightened emotions. You and/or your children, may be reading social media posts or watching news reports that are troubling and difficult to process. To assist in these challenging times, we are providing the attached information for parents/guardians on how to speak with children about sensitive topics such as this one.
If your child is experiencing increased levels of anxiety at this time, please reach out to the agencies listed in the attachment or contact the school for further assistance.
As a Catholic community rooted in faith, we continue to pray for the family members and those affected most directly by this heart-breaking news.
Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers as we grieve this tremendous loss in our school community and beyond.
Yours in Faith,
Karen McCormack
Principal
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
