6 months later, police continue to investigate death of boy hit disembarking school bus

London police are acknowledging the patience of the community as their investigation into the Lambeth-area collision that left a seven-year-old boy dead enters its sixth month.

Dante Caranci, 7, was getting off his school bus at Longwoods and Murray roads on Dec. 16, 2024 when he was struck by a passing vehicle around 4 p.m. The driver involved remained at the scene.

Caranci, a student of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic elementary school, died in hospital, and was remembered later by family and friends as a "joyful radiant child that brought joy to everyone around him."

Since the collision, details have been scarce, and police have kept tight-lipped. The cause of the collision has not been released, and it's not known whether charges may be laid.

"We appreciate the community's patience. Investigations of this complexity require thorough attention to accuracy, involving the collection, analysis, and verification of large volumes of evidence before coming to an investigative conclusion," police said in a statement on Friday.

"The Road Safety Section has assigned a dedicated team of investigators who are committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation to ensure the integrity of our findings."

Murray Faulkner, London's police chief from 2004 until 2010, expressed surprise the probe was still active, but notes there is no average length of a fatal collision investigation, each facing its own unique challenges

"I've seen some of them take as long as a year to make a final decision on whether charges are going to be laid — whether it's a Highway Traffic Act charge or a criminal offence charge," he said.

The location, along with weather, road conditions, and other factors must be looked at, and witnesses interviewed. The vehicles are also mechanically examined, and have telemetry data downloaded and forensically analyzed, Faulkner said.

"Obviously they're waiting for some results back, I would suspect," he said.

"There's lots of fatal accidents going on in the province, and so to find time for the experts to look at (the case) could be one of the reasons … as well, there's a finite number of collision reconstructionists in policing."

Caranci's death spurred a community push for safety improvements to Longwoods leading west out of Lambeth, which continues to see speeding and motorists passing flashing school buses.

In February, the London Free Press reported Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services (STS) made changes to the Longwoods route, so students didn't have to cross the road.

CBC News contacted STS on Friday, however no officials were available to speak.

A petition from Charles Bakker and his wife, addressed to local politicians and the police chief, garnered nearly 2,200 signatures early this year.

On Friday, Bakker said little had changed since, aside from a new speed radar sign where Caranci was struck, and a set of traffic lights two kilometres to the west.

The lights, at Longwoods Road and Westdel Bourne, activated this week following community concerns and a review of traffic volumes and collisions, the city said.

Bakker lives a short drive west of Colonel Talbot Road, where the speed limit jumps from 50 to 80 km/h leaving Lambeth.

"So far, where I live, it hasn't actually changed anything. I still see people zip by the house. I see people go through bus stop signs," he said, something which has happened numerous times.

There was increased police presence for a month after the crash, but Bakker says a sergeant described the situation to him as "whack-a-mole," with officers relocated when new collisions have occurred.

"You shouldn't be enforcing your way towards safe driving," anyway, he said.

"This should be something coming about through a combination of safely-designed roads, proper city planning, proper laws being put into place at the provincial level, proper budgets being allotted."

Ward 9 Coun. Anna Hopkins says she gets "numerous requests" throughout the ward about traffic-calming.

"Seeing if certain roads meet the warrant, if we need to put parking in place, if we need stop signs, if we need to reduce the speed. That has been an ongoing conversation," she said.

Residents can submit requests for a traffic-calming assessment. Requests for Longwoods were put in "quite a while ago" to city staff, Hopkins said, however she was unsure of their current status.

"I think it's up to all of us. It is a city responsibility that we make a road safe, and I'm confident that the city is doing that," Hopkins said.

"I'm confident in the police, how they support the community and are aware of the concerns. It's important we keep these conversations going about the importance of all of us being responsible for safety in our neighborhoods."