HAMILTON—Residents of a Waterdown neighbourhood, where a 10-year-old girl was struck and killed by a car trying to cross the road in front of her home on a suburban street, had complained the street is a traffic nightmare with frequent speeders.

The crash happened in front of a home on Evans Rd., near Dundas St., around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after the girl ran in front of a southbound vehicle, Hamilton police said.

The driver, a 25-year-old man, stopped and along with other witnesses and drivers offered medical assistance until paramedics arrived.

The girl was transported to hospital where she died. Police said the Hamilton girl’s name will not be released at the request of the family.

The driver was not injured and cooperated with police. He was not impaired, police said.

The road, which is on the western edge of Waterdown, runs between two main arteries Dundas St. and Parkside Dr. It appears both residential and rural, with nearby agricultural operations and older homes on long lots.

There are no sidewalks and neighbours complain the road is a traffic nightmare with frequent speeders and motorists using it as a thoroughfare between Dundas and Waterdown.

Neighbour Louie Luis said he was told the girl, who lived with her family on the road, was trying to cross to a neighbour’s house.

Because of traffic backups on the QEW and Highway 403 due to a death near Aberdeen, many people were detouring through Waterdown on Tuesday night and it was “bumper to bumper” going north on Evans, he said.

The girl safely passed through stopped cars in the northbound lanes, but was hit by the southbound vehicle as she stepped out into the “wide open” lane, he said.

Luis said there are many young families who have moved into the neighbourhood recently and many have also lost pets.

“It’s been horrible,” he said, adding that there has been promises for many years that a Waterdown bypass would be built to keep traffic away from homes, but nothing has happened.

Mauro Comitale, who also lives in the neighbourhood, made similar complaints, saying he’s called police repeatedly about speeders and traffic using Evans.

Hamilton police chief Eric Girt called it “a tragic incident for the family and the entire community.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the child at this time,” Girt said in a statement.

The investigation is ongoing.

Two photojournalists were also arrested at the scene while reporting the fatal collision.

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Freelance photographer David Ritchie was charged with obstructing police and resisting arrest. Global News videographer Jeremy Cohn was arrested but released unconditionally.

“As the matter is now before the courts, no further comment will be made in order to respect the court proceedings,” Girt said in a statement.