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May 5,1985 News 985-213!

“ AYOUNG

Classified 986-6222

&
was killed by'a car Wednesday. after school. :

ASSAULT

CHARGES OF AGGRAVATED assault and
assault causing bodily harm against a 24 year-old
West Vancouver man, Dean Allan Larson, pro-

ceeded
Friday.
‘Ten Crown witnesses gave
evidence in charges stemming
from a January 14 incident
that occured at the intersec-
tion of 21st and Lonsdale.
Plaintiff, David Ramsay of
West Vancouver testified that
he and. his brother Allan left
the Queen's Cross Pub in his
Mercedes 280 SL at approx-
imately 3:00 p.m. after con-
suming one or two cider.

in North Vancouver provincial

court

IMOTHY RENSHA

Attempting to make a left
hand twirn southbound on
Lonsdale at 2Ist, Ramsay
told the court that a north-
bound Toyota truck ‘‘came
at me honking and gesturing
in a threathening manner.”’
The plaintiff said, at the
time, his car was two-thirds

Circulation 986-1337

60 pages 25¢

: NEWS oneta Stuart erie
irl prepares to cross ihe road in front of Queen Mary's s school where a.10 year old wir

Focus on

Photo
Week
PAGE 11

song

A 10-YEAR-old girl died Thursday morning
because of a car accident her foster father
thinks could have been prevented.

Tanya MeNulty died in
Lions Gate Hospital after
she was struck by a car

_ crossing the crosswalk at
* Keith Road across from
Queen: Mary Community.

School.

She had been a foster’
child in North Vancouver
Jim Bright’s
home only one month be-

resident

fore she was killed.

By BARRETT FISHER

pulled out in the passing
lane,

to school!and showed her

wasn’t her fault at all.’
Bright said he and. his
wife, special care. foster:

Bright said the crossing parents, have fostered. 10

is especially hazardous,
because two lanes merge
into one at the crosswalk

going eastbound.

‘She was waiting at the
crosswalk,’’ Bright said.
“One car stopped for her
so she proceeded across
Another car
‘came up and hit her. The

lady couldn’t see her ~
she’s a tiny girl. I’m not
the lady, I'm.
blaming it on an improp-

the street.

blaming

». er crosswalk.”

i Tanya was walking a°
‘friend home. from . her ;; North “Vancouver
‘house. around 5:30. p.m.

afraid. her.

friend -would lose © her!
way,”. Bright explained. |
“On her way back, that’s:

- when ‘it. happened. The provements

did

She

waited for everything to

someone

‘She ‘was

sweetheart
tight.

little
everything

be right, but

children, “straightening
their lives. out, getting
them back on track.” -

“We're not going to
stop fostering,’’ he. said.
“We have. another. foster
child attending. St.
Thomas Aquinas ‘school,’
and we'll have- more
chidren, but” I don’t know
that'I want to send. more
kids - through - that
crosawalk. os

“Ken James from Norih
‘Van School District said

City
| deputy - “engineer, Don
Bridgman to: study. the
traffic problem. :

“*We. do ‘continuous
surveys, to see: if im-
are’ neces-
sary,” James. said. “It
happened even’ though
the child was. doing the
right thing. Sometimes we

into the intersection blocking
the curb lane unable to move
because elderly pedestrians
were moving slowly north
across the crosswalk.

The plaintiff said that he
subsequently got out of his
car ‘‘and walked over to the
truck to find out what the
problem was”,

When he was approximate-
ly three feet from Lar-
son’s window, Ramsay told
the court that the defendant
“took a swipe at me with an
object in his right hand as he
was opening his door.’’ Ram-
say said he then attempted to

pin Larson in his. truck by
closing the door on his left
leg.

‘*The next thing | knew,"
said Ramsay, ‘‘I was on the
ground with a dog biting me
on the triceps and biceps and
the driver of the truck wailing
on me.”

Ramsay testified that
neither did he instigate the
altercation nor did he throwa
punch at the defendent dur-
ing the fight, The 35-year-old
pilot said he had a ruptured
disc and was incapable of
defending himself: ‘*! feared
for my life’’.

Ramsey said his injuries
from the altercation were a
broken nose, two broken
teeth, multiple contusions to
the head and body, and
severe lacerations.

Witnesses, including three
elementary school students
agreed that Ramsey was the
first to get out of his car.

Speaking in his defense,
the accused said that Ramsay
had jumped out of his car,
approached his truck in a
menacing manner, and kick-
ed it. Larson said when he at-
tempted to get out of the
truck’s cab, Ramsay slamm-

PAGE 45

‘learn

“My. wife took Tanya .

how. to cross the walk: |
That's. why I'm. mad.* It-

his ‘office: has- called in |

through

something too
late.”’

Crossing guard
Dorothy Pearce super-
vises the crosswalk an
hour. before school starts,
during the noon-hour
break, and until about 4
p.m. after school. :

Said James: “‘Dorothy
does a super job and the

‘kids just Jove “her. She
knows the. kids

in-
dividually and she counts

them as theygo home to

make ‘sure. they’ve allt :
Made it across.” .

But after 4 ‘p.m. when
the children have. gone
home, Pearce goes home
too.

Bridgman ‘said the City
is looking at installing. il-
luminated ‘crosswalk in-
dication ‘signs,. which are
being considered. for
another crosswalk: at Laz-
son Road: and: Bewicke
Avenue. : a

Pedestrian: signal lights
would not: be appropriate |
for the Keith Road loca-:
tion, Bridgman said, but :
the crosswalk signs. are
being considered, “‘sub-.
ject to'the availability: of §
funds.”

‘Tanya was unconscious
for 22 hours after the ac-
cident, her foster father
explained, and died from
head injuries,

The dead girl’s mother
lives in Burnaby. *“

ed the door on his foot and
struck him.

Witnesses testified that the
two men then scuffled, with
Larson landing perhaps: five
blows while Larson’s dog, a
15-month-old female Staffor-
shire Terrier, attacked.

After leaving the scene,
Larson said he went to North
Vancouver's RCMP station
to report the assault and lay
charges against Ramsay.

Nuttal told the court that
his client was subsequently
arrested and jailed for 24

hours, | .
The trial continues May 9,