Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Brooklynn Zygarliski.
Brooklynn, 19, was walking home in Winnipeg’s east end in the early hours of Saturday, Oct. 31 when she was struck by an SUV at Lagimodiere Boulevard and Dugald Road. She had been out with friends for Halloween, got separated from them, and her family believes she decided to walk.
“Anyone of us in the family would have gone in a second and picked her up,” her father, Matthew Zygarliski, said. “But she was very independent.”
What police say
Winnipeg police were called to the intersection at 2:55 a.m. Brooklynn was taken to hospital in critical condition and died of her injuries. The driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators. The Traffic Division has the case.
Police have not announced charges or said what caused the collision. The release does not describe the signals, who had the right of way, or either person’s movements before impact. The family has been told the investigation could take a few weeks.
Lagimodiere is a six-lane divided route and one of the busiest roads on the east side of the city. Dugald Road meets it near the Transcona rail yards.
Who she was
Brooklynn had turned 19 less than a month earlier. She worked full time at Canadian Linen, helped with the household bills, and was saving to move into her own place within a couple of months.
She loved animals, cooking, dancing and gymnastics. She rock climbed most of her life. She had two cats and was close to her younger brother. When she was nine, she taught her 75-year-old great-grandmother to swim.
“She was the life of the party, funniest kid in the room,” her father said. “She hated to fail.”
She had spent weeks on her Halloween costume, sewing, painting and sanding it. She never got to wear it.
“Whoever you are, I forgive you”
Police came to the family’s door around 5 a.m. Saturday.
Her mother, Megan, said she feels as if her soul left with her daughter. “There’s a hole in my heart. I don’t know how to ever be OK ever again.”
Matthew said the medical examiner told them Brooklynn likely did not know what happened. That brought the family some peace. And he said he holds no anger toward the driver.
“Whoever you are, I forgive you.”
He said losing his daughter has changed how he drives, and asked other drivers to pay attention. “You make funeral plans when you get old. You don’t plan for this.”
Her mother wants the intersection looked at
Megan said the city should consider a safety corridor at Lagimodiere and Dugald. She knows the intersection; she was in a minor collision there herself a few months ago. “There’s been a lot of accidents there,” she said.
The family is not asking for anything specific yet, and their concerns do not establish what caused this collision. They plan to contact city councillors once they are able.
“I hope that no other family has to feel what we feel or lose anyone,” Megan said. “She was full of life and love and kindness. She will be missed.”
How to help: the GoFundMe for Brooklynn’s family
A GoFundMe called “Together for a Family facing an Unimaginable Loss” was set up by Heather Zajac, a co-worker of Brooklynn’s mother, to cover funeral and burial costs and give the family room to grieve without worrying about money.
The goal was $7,000. By Sunday, Nov. 8 it had passed $9,786 from 119 donations, with gifts ranging from $20 to $500. Some came from friends. Some, the family says, came from people they had not spoken to in decades.
The page lists Brooklynn’s service for Friday, Nov. 20. Anything raised beyond the funeral stays with the family.
You can donate at the link below. If you knew Brooklynn, the page also has a spot to leave a message for her parents and brother.
Together for a Family facing an Unimaginable Loss (GoFundMe)
Transcona MLA Shannon Corbett sent flowers to the family.
If you saw anything
Anyone with information, or dashcam, security or phone video from Lagimodiere and Dugald around 2:55 a.m. on Oct. 31, is asked to call the Winnipeg Police Service Traffic Division at 204-986-7085. The file number is C26-277303.
Sources:
Winnipeg Police Service news release, Oct. 31, 2026 (file C26-277303)
Megan and Matthew Zygarliski, interviews with CBC Manitoba (Nov. 8, 2026), Winnipeg Today, CityNews Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Free Press
GoFundMe: Brooklynn Zygarliski funeral fund
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