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Website Archived Feature » Severe
Storm During the Winter
of 2004
Robyn MacKinnon was bringing her science project
to school Thursday morning when she was killed in a
six-car pileup.
The 12-year-old, described by neighbours and friends
as "unimaginably sweet," was a passenger in a car driven
by her grandmother. They were on their way to East Antigonish
Education Centre/Academy in Monastery when road conditions
on Highway 4 became treacherous at the community of Linwood
Harbour.
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The multi-vehicle collision happened at
about 10:30 a.m. during an unexpected blizzard.
Rev. Alex MacLellan, parish priest of St. Paul's church
in Havre Boucher, said Friday that Robyn was one of his altar
servers and an extremely kind little girl. He spoke just
a short time after visiting with her grandmother and her
brother Martin, 13, at a neighbour's house in West Havre
Boucher.
"Her grandmother had been driving and the roads were so bad, with whiteouts everywhere," Father
MacLellan said.
RCMP say the investigation is far from complete and they refused to release details
of the accident and events leading up to the girl's death. Witnesses had yet
to be questioned as of late Friday.
 To
watch the video you may click
here.
Robyn's grandmother
told the priest about the accident. "She told me the car
slammed into a truck and she told them to get out of the
car before another car hit them from behind," Father MacLellan
said. "They (the
grandmother and brother) got out and they were trying to
get Robyn out when the vehicle was hit from behind." The
grandmother was raising the girl and her brother, in grades
7 and 8 respectively.
"She was just a sweet little girl and she will be terribly missed, especially
by her brother," the priest said. Neighbours say the children
were usually inseparable. "They
were always together," said one woman who asked not to
be identified. "In
fact, they were both taking their science fair projects
to school when the accident happened.
"They were just so close." The woman described Robyn's death as "an absolute
tragedy for the whole community. "She was a very friendly
little girl, always smiling - we will miss her."
Mary MacKinnon of West Havre Boucher said the brother and
sister would often deliver Avon products to her house on
behalf of their grandmother. "The dear
little pets - they were the dearest little kids you would
ever want to meet and they were very close, so this is
awful for those left behind," she
said. Meanwhile, Father MacLellan said Martin is staying
close by his grandmother's side.
"He won't leave her side - he's a great comfort to her," the priest said. "It's
hard to give comfort - mostly it's your presence that is
needed at times like these, but they are great believers and that also gives
them comfort."
RCMP continued Friday to investigate the cause of the accident. "The members
are still at the scene taking measurements - it's even
too dangerous for us to be out there because the weather is still bad in that
area with blowing snow," said
Const. Andy Harris of Antigonish RCMP. Const. Harris said
a number of other people involved in the accident received
cuts, bruises and scrapes.
One man was transported to hospital in Halifax but Const.
Harris said his injuries were not life-threatening.
Visitings for Robyn will be done 2-4 pm, 7-9 pm on March
1st, and 12-2:30 pm on March 2nd, followed by a funeral
mass at 3 pm. Rev. Alec MacLellan officiating. Burial in
the parish cemetery.
Source: The Halifax Herald
(Saturday, February 28th, 2004)
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