An eight-year-old Nanaimo boy has died after being hit by a truck while riding his bike on Sunday morning, Nanaimo RCMP say. The boy was with his older sister around 11:40 a.m. Sunday when he rode his bike out of a driveway in the 1000-block of Nelson Street and was hit by the F350 pickup, said Nanaimo RCMP spokesman Const. Gary O’Brien. The boy was wearing a helmet.
Several bystanders called 911 and performed emergency first aid until police, Nanaimo Fire and B.C. Ambulance paramedics arrived on scene.
The injured boy was taken to Nanaimo Regional General hospital, where he received emergency care. However, his injuries were too severe and he was pronounced dead.
Tracy Williams, a family friend who created a Go Fund Me page to support his parents, identified the boy as Linden Baglo.
Linden was a “loving, adorable, funny little boy” who brought “joy and smiles to everyone’s life,” Williams wrote on the fundraising page.
Williams, a close friend of Linden’s uncle, called him a truly remarkable young boy.
“Linden was a charismatic sweet boy who loved to tell stories and gave the best arm massages to all that would listen and let him. I had once said he would be an actor one day with all the different characters and voices he could dream up and act out.”
Williams said money raised will help his parents, Kalen and Jenn, with the funeral costs, “which is the last thing any parent should be worrying about when losing a child.”
Nanaimo RCMP investigators obtained multiple statements and spoke with the driver of the truck, who remained at the scene and was co-operative. Police have ruled out alcohol, speed and drugs as factors, O’Brien said. The pickup was seized by investigators and will undergo a mechanical inspection.
Kate Stefiuk, who lives across the street from the Baglo family, said she didn’t witness the crash, but her two daughters are around the same age as Linden.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” she said.
The 1000-block of Nelson Street is about 600 metres from Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, so the street has become a de facto overflow parking area, often lined on both sides with cars, Stefiuk said.
That makes it difficult to see pedestrians or cyclists coming out from the sidewalk, she said.
“I walk my kids to school every day, but it’s dangerous. I wouldn’t let them do it on their own.”
The boy was a student of Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district 68 and district officials have been notified. RCMP school liaison officers and grief counsellors will be in place to assist any students and staff who need it.
Bob Esliger, assistant superintendent, said a counsellor and a youth care worker will be at the boy’s elementary school for the next few days to ensure students receive support. Additional teachers are also available for any staff member who needs a break from the classroom, he said.
Eslinger said the death is “devastating” and can be hard for some students to understand.
“It just sends a shudder through the community,” he said.
Nanaimo RCMP Victim Services is assisting the boy’s family and those involved.
“This is just a tragic occurrence,” O’Brien said. “Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the young boy and everyone involved. We would also like to acknowledge several bystanders who, without hesitation, initiated emergency first aid to the youth.”
The bystanders who rendered first aid left the scene before investigators could speak with them and O’Brien said it’s important that police obtain statements from them. Anyone with information on this incident or who knows the names of the bystanders should contact the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345.
