August 6, 2009

PATRICK McCONNELL

A piece of sheet metal struck and killed a three-year-old girl on the weekend. High winds may have blown construction material off a project in Calgary.

Girl, 3, killed by ‘car-sized’ sheet metal in Calgary

CALGARY

Relatives of a little girl who was killed by flying debris during a storm on the weekend are struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.

Mirsoslav Krsek, his wife, Mariana, and their children, Eric, 7, and Michelle, 3, were taking relatives from Romania to the Calgary Tower for supper on Saturday night when the family was hit by a sheet of corrugated metal that fell from a hotel and office tower under construction.

Little Michelle was killed instantly while her father and brother suffered significant injuries.

Paul Muresan, the little girl’s uncle, wept as he visited the scene, where a memorial of flowers and teddy bears has been set up.

Muresan said he saw the sheet of metal come off the building and tried to warn his brother-in-law, but everything happened too fast.

“She was like an angel,” the grieving uncle, tears streamed down his face, said of his little niece.

Eric underwent surgery and remains at Alberta Children’s Hospital while Miroslav remains in Foothills hospital with head injuries.

Danielle Pineault was riding her bike about 10 feet behind the group when she saw the metal sheet slam into them.

“I was looking at this little girl and her family because she was really cute wearing a nice little white dress and this thing landed on her,” she said. “I can still hear the mom’s blood-curdling screams.”

Pineault said the metal sheet that hit the group was huge.

“It was the size of a car, it took eight people to lift it.’’

Calgary police and Occupational Health and Safety are investigating the incident and whether the construction material was properly secured. There were no workers Saturday at the building, which is being built by Quebec City-based Groupe Germain.

-Canadian Press

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