Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/08/05/calgary-motorcycle-saddlecrest-crash.html?ref=rss

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A woman who was teaching her younger sister how to drive in northeast Calgary was killed when her sibling lost control of the car and ran her over, neighbours told CBC News.

The woman was standing on the sidewalk in the 100 block of Saddlecrest Close N.E. on Monday night, instructing her sister who was backing out of a residential driveway, said neighbours.

The 24-year-old woman, who reversed "at a rapid rate of speed," did not have a driver's licence or learner's permit, said Staff Sgt. Brett Marklund on Tuesday.

The car sped backward across the street and hit a house, where its bumper was dislodged, then accelerated forward, striking the older sister, 29, standing on the sidewalk.

"I heard the screeching and then a bang, and when I came up to my window, I looked across the street and the car was stuck in that house across the street, the back end of it, and it started speeding away," Shawn St. Amand said on Tuesday.

'It was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. It was almost like she was just a rag doll.'
—Shawn St. Amand, witness"My attention focused to the side of the road and there was a woman standing ... and the car struck her and completely ran her over, all four tires, and then dragged her up on the driveway.

"It was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. It was almost like she was just a rag doll."

The older sister suffered fatal head, chest and abdominal injuries and died on her way to Foothills Hospital, said paramedics.

The car then continued back toward the garage it had originally exited and struck a four-year-old girl before smashing into the concrete steps of the house next door.

The child, reported to be the driver's niece, was taken to the Alberta Children's Hospital with minor injuries.

Part of the car's rear bumper was dislodged after the vehicle hit a house across the street. (CBC)
St. Amand and other neighbours reported that the victim and the driver were sisters, but police would only say they were relatives.

The driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was also taken to hospital, said paramedics.

"She was absolutely panicked when it started moving and it didn't get any better when she hit the first house," said Marklund.

He said police have ruled out drugs or alcohol as well as criminal intent in the case. The file will be forwarded to the Crown to determine if charges, which could include driving without a licence, should be laid.

Neighbour Lili Mekuria said the family moved to Calgary from India about a year ago, and that the two sisters seemed very close.

"See them always together. They work together and they work really so hard," Mekuria said. "It's just a tragedy."