Flowers are filling up the traffic pole on the corner of Main Street and National Avenue in Vancouver. This is where 45-year-old Raven Prince was struck and killed Sunday just after midnight. 

“It’s surreal, unbelievable that it happened, I’m still wrestling with the idea of her passing.”

Rivers Stonechild, Prince’s husband, says her family is still going through the stages of grief. Although they were separated, Stonechild says they still maintained a loving relationship. They raised four children together – the youngest only 14.

“Just to see my children go through the grief and loss. Some days it’s manageable, other days it’s [so] overwhelming that it brings me to tears. I can’t sleep, I’m not able to take away that pain. There was always a thought of us being old and grey and having grandchildren around, and now that will never happen.”

He describes Prince as a social butterfly who was very involved in the community; she was a pow wow dancer and loved to sing and play softball. The news of her untimely death affects not only her family, but all the lives she touched.

“Her ability to connect with people, she had an amazing laugh, it would carry, It was infectious. 

I want people to know the love that she’s given to the people in her life will carry on. She left a little piece of herself with each and everyone else.”

According to police, Prince was crossing the street when she was hit by a southbound SUV. The force of the collision threw her about 30 metres. Officers say the driver cooperated with police and alcohol or drugs are not believed to be factors in this crash. Her family tells me she was on her way home, just a block away.

In just the past week, there have been at least three reported pedestrian collisions in Metro Vancouver; including another fatal one in Richmond and one in Surrey that left one person seriously injured.

“Everything matters in situations like this. Certainly the conditions do play a role. It’s important for drivers to keep in mind that the posted speed limit is the maximum for ideal conditions,” said Jesse Brydle, volunteer with Vision Zero Vancouver.  

“When it’s dark, it’s raining, it’s important to keep speed down. But it’s the infrastructure itself and the approach we take as a city that are going to have the biggest impact.”

“We lost a true gem, I just can’t ask the public enough to just slow down when you’re out there.”

A GoFundMe has been set up to support Prince’s family; her celebration of life will be held next Saturday.