Parents of Girl Killed in Quebec Bus Crash Remember Her as a ‘Ray of Sunshine’

A woman lights a candle at a memorial outside a church close to the site of a daycare centre in Laval, Que, on Feb. 9, 2023, where a bus crashed into the building killing two children. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

The parents of one of the two children killed when a bus smashed into a Laval, Que., daycare last week are paying tribute to their four-year-old daughter in a letter sent to Quebec media.

In the letter signed “Jessica and Nicolas,” the parents remember their daughter Maëva as a “ray of sunshine” who was full of energy. La Presse reports the parents are Jessica Therrien and Nicolas David and that their daughter was Maëva David.

The parents say she adored going to daycare to play with her friends.

The letter says Maëva, who was killed Feb. 8 just days before her fifth birthday, is survived by an older brother and an older sister.

The parents express their sympathy with the other victims and thank those who have given their support.

Four-year-old Jacob Gauthier was also killed in the crash and six other children were hospitalized. A Laval bus driver faces two charges of first-degree murder, as well as charges of attempted murder and assault.

“She had everything to become an engaged and well-rounded citizen,” the parents wrote. “She  will continue to shine in her own way by what she taught us, day after day, by the unforgettable memories she left us as well as by the lessons learned from the unspeakable event that stopped her little heart.”