“He was the kindest, most generous, beloved husband, father, son, and friend.”
That’s how Stina Lindenblatt describes her husband Ralph who was killed in a tragic crash near Calgary’s Chinook Centre shopping mall in late November.
A night she says her “world began to implode.”
Until now, Ralph had only been identified by police as a man in his 50s. Stina said she decided to speak out after learning members of the community have been lobbying for lights to be installed at the crosswalk where he died.
She described Ralph as “an amazing, man,” always donating to his community, helping friends and family.”
“Just an amazing, giving guy,” she said, adding how much he loved his family.
Nov. 27, the night of the collision, was Stina’s birthday. But she and Ralph decided not to celebrate until the next day. Instead, Ralph took their daughter to Chinook Centre and afterwards he planned to go pick up his son at band practice.
He never made it.
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The woman who was driving the vehicle, a 2024 Ford Escape, stopped to help.
At the same time, a 2009 Pontiac Vibe was travelling south along Elbow Drive.
That vehicle also struck Ralph, who was later declared deceased at the scene.
Police said neither speed, alcohol nor drugs are considered factors in either collision.
Amanda Lovig Hagg of the Meadowlark Park Community Association, told Global News the community group has been concerned about the crosswalk for years.
“We had a fatality here about five or six years ago, that really shook the neighbourhood and since then we have been hoping to get increased safety measures,” Lovig Hagg said. “We knew that another accident was a matter of when, not if.”
Asked what concerns she has heard from area residents about the crosswalk, Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner told Global News the city tries to “make evidence-based decisions when it comes to crosswalk safety.”
“But how we make decisions come down to reporting, reports to 311, messages to our offices,” Penner added.
In this instance, Penner said the numbers are really low compared to a few other intersections, so “the problem may be common knowledge among residents, but if it’s not elevated in the right way, it’s hard for us to act on it.”
Lovig Hagg said she is aware of many of her neighbours have sent complaints and requests “asking for things such as flashing lights, curbs or removing the crosswalk altogether.”
“But we were told previously that ‘lights are very expensive,’” she said. “How do you equate that to a human life?
“Something needs to change. Right now, it’s not visible enough to be safe.”
Stina said “nobody wants to lose their friend or husband or father like my kids and I are doing, so yeah, I would like to see lights up.”
“If anything comes out of this, I’d like to see lights,” she added. “Those lights could have changed everything.
“Everyone could have had a better Christmas. It just blows my mind that it could have been as simple as having those lights there. I would have my husband.”
Stina said she is still trying to process Ralph’s death.
“I hear the door open. I see a car come up and think that’s him,” she said. “But no, it’s not him.
“No one has really come to grips that he’s not coming home anymore.”
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.