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The dad of a three-year-old girl who died after being hit by a car in Cambridge back in mid-December says that even though charges have finally been made against the driver, it doesn’t bring much peace or relief.
“We’re happy that charges have been finally laid, but knowing he’s still out is something we’re not happy with,” Spencer Mac Donald told Cambridge Chronicle.
“Knowing that this man had his holidays, his New Year and got to live his life like nothing happened is kind of crushing us.”
On Thursday, Waterloo regional police charged a 75-year-old man with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death. The man’s name hasn’t been released by police, and he was also handed a Highway Traffic Act ticket for having an obstructed windshield.
The charge and ticket relate to a deadly crash near Westgate Plaza on Cedar Street on Dec. 11 that involved a car and two pedestrians.
The little girl and her mom, 31-year-old Shihan Shea, were taken to hospital. The girl didn’t survive while Shea suffered serious injuries but they’re not life-threatening.
Mac Donald said he and his family have really struggled since the accident.
“We’re far from OK, but we’re trying our best to be OK. We’re devastated,” he said.
Shea’s uncle, Bob Davison, told Cambridge Chronicle back in December that she had just moved into the area with her daughter hoping for “their new beginning.”
Cambridge community members left stuffed animals and flowers on in December at a crosswalk on Cedar Street, where a three-year-old girl was killed by a vehicle. (Aastha Shetty/CBC)
Looking for tougher charges
Mac Donald mentioned he hoped police would press “heavier” charges against the driver – something closer to manslaughter.
He also said his family is waiting on more details from police about what exactly happened on Dec. 11.
“It seems a lot of people are under the impression that they were crossing at the crosswalk there,” he explained, making it clear that Shea and his daughter were actually on the sidewalk when they got hit.
“They were on the sidewalk directly in front of the plaza trying to get to the crosswalk for the bus stop.”
Shihan Shea’s three-year-old daughter, pictured here, was killed when walking to a crosswalk on Cedar Street in Cambridge with her mother on Dec. 11, 2025. Cambridge council voted last month to request the Region of Waterloo conduct a pedestrian safety review of the roadway. (Bob Davison)
‘Significant’ charge says police
Insp. Scott Griffiths from Waterloo Regional Police Service told Cambridge Chronicle that this charge is serious.
“It’s obviously a significant charge whenever a death is involved,” he said.
The Criminal Code says someone convicted of causing death while driving can face bans from driving plus possible jail time-up to life imprisonment as max penalty.</pp
Griffiths didn’t explain why they gave him the ticket for obstructed windshield but confirmed it wasn’t because snow blocked his view.</pp
The inspector called Mac Donald’s daughter’s death “a tragedy.”</pp
“Investigating fatalities and deaths are some of the challenging investigations we could possibly do and with the death of a child, it is especially traumatizing for the community, the families involved and the investigators,” he said.</pp
This loss pushed City officials in Cambridge to ask Region authorities for safety checks along Cedar Street after several pedestrian accidents recently happened there too.</pp
Mac Donald pointed out there’s been many crashes plus deaths along that part of Cedar Street before-and safety checks already took place once or twice before too.</pp
“We are in the end going to probably look at the region’s responsibility on this,” Mac Donald said.
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