A funeral for five children killed a week ago in a two-vehicle collision on a rural southern Ontario road will be held on Saturday.
The members of the Doerksen family, Peter, 12, Helena, 10, Sara, 8, Maggie, 6, and Susy, 4, were in a large passenger van with another sibling, their parents and a couple when their vehicle and an SUV collided.
Police are still working to determine what exactly happened in the moments leading up to the collision, which occurred at the intersection of 4th Line and Wellington Road 12 in Mapleton Township, northwest of Kitchener, around 7:30 p.m. ET on June 12.
The five children will be remembered by friends and family during an afternoon service at a rural church just outside the town of Elmira.
“The family sincerely appreciates the prayers, support and kindness shown during this difficult time,” say obituaries for the five children.
Wellington County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said 10 people were in the van and one person was in the SUV.
Nancy Doerksen, the second oldest of 12 children and who was not in the van, spoke briefly with CBC News on Monday to confirm her siblings were killed in the crash.
Nancy started an online fundraising campaign to help the family. It has raised over $300,000.
In an update on Monday, Nancy said her mother, Judit, remains in hospital, “making slow but steady progress.”
Her 15-month-old brother has been released from hospital with a broken leg and her father, Cornelius Doerksen Froese, continues to recover from injuries.
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Nancy also said Peter and Elizabeth Bartsch were the couple in the vehicle with the eight family members. Elizabeth remains in hospital.
The Doerksen family has declined media interviews, but have said they’ll release a statement when they’re ready.
Wellington County OPP is offering support to witnesses and others who assisted with the crash.
“Events of this nature are never easy. If you are struggling, please reach out,” OPP said in a news release. “The Wellington County OPP is committed to working together with our community to ensure that everyone has access to the support they need, especially in times of tragedy.”
CBC News spoke with Katherine Boese, a witness and one of the people who was at the scene of the collision.
Boese was feeding her chickens when she heard a crash from her home, with a tire landing in her yard.
Boese described seeing metal parts scattered across the scene. She said she saw the van’s engine had been hurled from the vehicle, with smoke coming from it as it sat by the nearby river. She also said she saw the bodies of some of the children.
“It’s horrible. It’s horrible,” she said, shaking her head.
Boese said she found the infant in the back seat of the van and spoke to the child until paramedics arrived.
Boese, her husband and neighbours also offered assistance after the crash.
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Police said anyone seeking help can contact Victim Services Wellington at 519-824-1212 (ext.7304) and Victim Services of Waterloo Region at 519-585-2363.
Police are asking any witnesses to the crash or anyone with information to contact Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
On Monday, OPP launched a safety campaign focused on rural intersections.
OPP West Region said the seven-day Stop, Look, Live campaign was planned before the fatal collision.
Chief Supt. Dwight Thib said in a video with a post on X, formerly Twitter, that over the past year, the OPP has noticed a “significant increase and spike” in collisions resulting in serious injuries or death at intersections.
Thib made the video outside the Wellington County detachment in Fergus on Saturday, when a news conference regarding the crash was held.
He said the collision did not play a role in the creation or timing of the campaign, but it “drives home the need for the motoring public to be mindful that intersections can be dangerous and we have to abide by the laws.”
