ANDOVER, MASS. (WHDH) - People who live in Andover gathered Thursday night at a public meeting where they expressed concerns about a crosswalk where a five-year-old girl was killed last month.
Sidney Olson died after she was hit by a truck near the intersection of Main and Elm streets on May 9.
One month later, teddy bears remain at the intersection where Olson’s family is calling for change.
“We see near misses there almost every day and it’s obviously tragic that my daughter had to be the one to highlight that,” said Sidney’s father, Eric Olson.
“In an instant, we had an impossible void in our lives,” Eric continued. “We lost a daughter. My son lost a sister.”
In the wake of tragedy last month, many have been looking for ways to make downtown Andover safer.
“This has been the highest priority that the town has been confronting since the time of the accident,” said Town Manager Andrew Flanagan on Thursday.
Over the next eight to 10 weeks, officials say they will be assessing traffic signals, conducting a road safety audit and discussing regulatory changes to be made in the Elm Square area
Officials on Thursday said they have already collected traffic data in downtown Andover, where many residents said the dangerous Elm Square intersection needs to be addressed immediately.
“If you don’t make it safe for people, we can’t walk,” said one speaker.
“There’s blood on people’s hands, I’m sorry, someone had to say that,” said one other speaker. “Our whole town is in mourning right now.”
The Olson family, backed by many community members, is asking for action, including more visibility in the Elm Square area, adjusted traffic signal timing and added patrols during busy hours.
Speaking this week, Eric Olson said he hopes everyone can remember the little girl who inspired this call for change.
“She was someone who really thrives in the community and loved people,” he said. “If she’s able to do good, then that gives us a great deal of hope.”
Sidney Olson’s parents have created a scholarship in her memory at the school she attended. They told 7NEWS they had raised $130,000 for the scholarship as of Thursday.
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