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Police block off First Roots Early Education Academy after a car drove through its window in Richmond Hill, Ont. on Wednesday.Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press
One toddler is dead and six others injured, along with three adults, after an SUV plowed into a daycare north of Toronto on Wednesday afternoon.
York Regional Police say the vehicle went into the building at Yonge Street and Nottingham Drive, in Richmond Hill, at 3 p.m.
A 1½-year-old boy was pronounced dead, while another child sustained serious injuries, police said. Five other children and three adult staff members had non-life-threatening injuries.
A driver in his 70s was arrested at the scene. Police said they do not believe the act was deliberate, based on witness accounts, and no charges have been laid.
Constable Kevin Nebrija said initial information suggested that the vehicle was in the parking lot at the time and accelerated through the front window for unknown reasons.
“As you can imagine, this was a very chaotic scene,” he said.
The mayor of Richmond Hill, Ont., and onlookers reacted at the scene after police arrested a driver in what they said was not believed to be a deliberate act.
The Canadian Press
The daycare has been identified as First Roots Early Education Academy, which is described on its website as a Montessori/Reggio-based child-care centre for children aged three months to six years.
“Heartbroken and deeply saddened by the tragic incident at our centre,” the daycare said in a statement posted online. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family during this incredibly difficult time.”
There were 96 children attending daycare at the time of the incident, Constable Nebrija said. All others have been accounted for and parents have been notified.
Police remained at the scene early Wednesday evening. Small blue and green children’s chairs, and a basket of children’s toys, could be seen through a gaping hole where a large windowpane had shattered.
Shortly before 8 p.m., firefighters helped ease the vehicle, a minivan-sized Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV, out of the daycare’s smashed floor-to-ceiling window and onto a flatbed truck.
It looked as though the car, its hood and roof covered in a layer of shattered glass, was being backed out of a garage, not a child-care centre. It had completely entered the building from the parking lot.
With the daycare surrounded in police tape, a crowd of about 40 people, including families and dogwalkers, had gathered from the prosperous multicultural neighbourhood nearby.
Some were drawn by the police and firetruck lights, others because they had heard about the tragedy on the news. They were largely silent as the car was removed, with many taking pictures with their smartphones. The vehicle’s front bumper was frayed and twisted.
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Onlookers watch as the vehicle is loaded onto a transport truck after it crashed into an Ontario daycare.Jeff Gray/The Globe and Mail
Among the crowd was Brandon Tito, 32, who works at a nearby car dealership.
“I have two children, I have a six-year-old and a three-year-old boy, two boys at home,” he said. “… It’s totally tragic to fathom.”
Richmond Hill Mayor David West called the incident “profoundly unsettling” and expressed his gratitude to first responders who he said acted with speed, professionalism and compassion.
“On behalf of the City of Richmond Hill, and as a parent myself, I extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the child who passed away, as well as my full support and solidarity to the children, parents, caregivers and staff affected by this tragedy,” he said in a statement.
“I stand firmly with you united in grief, care and resilience.”
Mr. West said York Regional Police are conducting a comprehensive investigation into what happened.
Vincent Ho, member of Parliament for Richmond Hill South, said he could not imagine the pain that the affected families were feeling, as the father of an infant himself.
“No parent should ever fear for their child’s safety in a place meant to nurture and protect,” he said in a social-media post on Wednesday.
“My heart goes out to the parents, children and staff impacted by this heartbreaking tragedy, and to our entire community that is grieving tonight.”
