“Our hearts are broken” community rallies around family of Waterdown girl struck and killed

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the family of a little girl who was struck and killed while crossing a busy road earlier this week.

Jasmin Hanif, 10, died in hospital after she was hit by a minivan just after 6:30 p.m. on Evans Rd. in Waterdown.

Organizers of the page are hoping to raise $30,000 to help the family through this difficult time. “In support of the grieving family for the sweet Jasmin Hanif, to help with funeral costs and allow the family to grieve without strain, and to create a memorial for their beautiful daughter,” says the memorial page.

Messages of sadness fill the comments section of the campaign’s page where more than $4,000 has already been raised.

“Thoughts and prayers to Jasmin’s family. I’m so so sorry for your tragic loss. May Jasmin live forever in your hearts and loving memories,” wrote Lindsay Lillie.

Others described Hanif as “a very sweet little girl” who will be remembered for “her energy, her fun nature and her spunk.”

Christine Marchesan wrote, “We are so sorry for your loss. Our hearts are broken. Love to you always.”

Hanif was a fourth grade student at Waterdown’s Mary Hopkins Elementary School. The school posted a letter to parents and guardians about Hanif’s passing on their website.

“It is with deep sadness that we are sharing with you the news of the death of Jasmin Hanif. Jasmin was a student in grade 4. We believe it is important that you know about the deep loss that our school community is experiencing,” wrote the school’s principal Jenn George. “We met with students this morning and counselors from the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) were available throughout the day to help our students and staff cope with this tragedy. We will continue to have support available to support our students in the coming days.

Hamilton police are continuing their investigation into the collision. Investigators say impairment has been ruled out but they are still looking at other factors like speed and traffic conditions. The 25-year-old driver of the minivan has been cooperating with police.