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23-month-old boy dies in hospital after being struck by recycling truck

Barrie police say boy died in hospital from injuries suffered in the crash Thursday afternoon on Red Maple Lane
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Police investigate the scene of a collision involving a child on Red Maple Lane in southeast Barrie on May 23.

A 23-month-old boy has died in hospital after being struck by a waste collection truck in south-end Barrie on Thursday afternoon.

Overnight, police say the child succumbed to injuries he sustained from the collision.

Barrie police were called to Red Maple Lane, near Yonge Street and Mapleview Drive East, at 12:43 p.m. on May 23 for a vehicle collision involving a young child. 

Upon arrival, police learned the boy had been hit by a recycling truck. He was transported to local hospital and later flown by air ambulance to a Toronto trauma centre where he was treated for life-threatening injuries.

The subsequent police investigation was conducted by the Barrie police traffic unit, who were assisted by the members of the forensic identification unit and officers who were assigned to the day shift, according to police.

"The investigation into this traffic fatality remains ongoing and updates will only be provided as the investigation permits," police stated in a social-media post on Friday morning. 

At the scene on Thursday afternoon, a police forensic team could be seen working behind yellow tape on Red Maple Lane, a small and quiet street with rows of townhouses under construction just east of Yonge Street and north of Mapleview Drive East in Barrie.

Investigators were focused on a white Emterra truck, as officers looked around and underneath the vehicle.

An employee of Emterra Environmental could be seen seated in a company pickup truck near the scene. He declined to speak to BarrieToday about the incident.

Circular Materials took over recycling collection in Barrie as of May 1. The organization contracts recycling collection in Barrie to Emterra. 



Kevin Lamb

About the Author: Kevin Lamb

Kevin Lamb picked up a camera in 2000 and by 2005 was freelancing for the Barrie Examiner newspaper until its closure in 2017. He is an award-winning photojournalist, with his work having been seen in many news outlets across Canada and internationally
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