‘World-shattering’: Family, community devastated after 3-year-old killed

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

A family is reeling, and the community of Bedford is still in shock after a three-year-old was struck and killed by a truck on June 20.

Maverick is described as “full of life,” he was curious and was deeply loved by his family, his aunt, Felicia Newell, said in a GoFundMe post.

“As you can imagine, this is something no parent can ever prepare for, and the entire family is devastated,” she wrote. “His loss is immeasurable.”

Newell described the area where the tragedy happened as a quiet, tight-knit community. The backyard area stretches across multiple townhome backyards, and often children come home from school and head outside to play.

Soccer and ball hockey are the most popular in this neighbourhood, where the single-lane driveways and visitor parking lot enclose an area where the children often gather.

Related:

• Toddler, 3, dies after struck by vehicle

“The area is frequently filled with the sounds of kids playing, laughter, bike bells, kids on rollerblades racing past you, and slap shots in hockey nets, followed by parental cheers of ‘Get it!’ and ‘Woos; after every goal,” Newell said in the fundraiser.

That Friday was like any other, she described, a warm summer evening where Maverick and his older brother, Mason, were playing with a large group of children. The boys’ father, Joel Brown, told them it was time for bed, but the pair had just made new friends and asked for another few minutes.

“Joel stepped inside briefly to finish cleaning up from supper. In those few minutes, the soccer ball was kicked into the parking area nearby, and a large truck with a trailer happened to be passing by,” Newell said.

Halifax Regional Police officers responded to the area just before 8 p.m. Paramedics rushed Maverick to the hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Newell described this scene as “world-shattering” not only for her family but the “incredibly connected” community that jumped to aid Maverick. She said this event has impacted so many people.

The funds raised will go to the family to help them cover unexpected funeral and burial arrangements and allow them to take time away from work without financial strain.