A series of recent hit-and-run incidents in the city has sparked a Calgary mother to speak out, imploring the suspect responsible for injuring her teenage son to come forward.
When 17-year-old Brandon Taylor was hours late for dinner the night of Oct. 17, his mother, Kailey Naugler, became worried.
She later noticed emergency vehicles across the street from her home, at the intersection of 16 Avenue and 46 Street N.W., and decided to walk over to see what happened.
“I watched paramedics work on someone and place them into the back of an ambulance, not knowing that it was my son,” said Naugler.
“I walked back home thinking Brandon was just late. About two or three hours more went by and we knew that something wasn’t right.”
Taylor suffered a broken collarbone, his jaw is broken in two places, his head is severely injured and his ear is stapled together.
Investigators say a witness helped them track down the vehicle believed to be involved – in Cochrane.
The vehicle has been seized, but so far nobody has been charged.
"They're waiting for him to come in. He's out of the city right now and supposedly on his way back," said Sgt. Colin Foster with the CPS traffic unit.
"We do have the vehicle involved in that collision and we do know who the driver is, we're just waiting to speak to that driver."
Naugler says the incident has rocked her family as she calls on the person responsible to turn themselves in.
“You need to make things right and if you’re unable to, I can promise it doesn't go away and if you’re never found you still have to sleep with that memory. You still have to sleep with that trauma,” she said.
“So now all we can do is hold hope that each day my son gets better, that each day we'll be closer to having a normal (life) or whatever that's to look like now.”
His best friend, Nicholas Irvine, visited him at the Alberta Children’s Hospital on Friday, and described the experience as one of the most difficult of his life.
“It’s just so hard to see him like that,” said Irvine.
“It’s heartbreaking and there’s just a lot of mixed emotions.”
For now, Taylor’s family is holding out hope he will make a full recovery
A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family with medical expenses.
Naugler thanks friends and community members for their support.
She also hopes this serves as a reminder to watch out for others on Calgary’s streets.
“When you get your licence, it’s a privilege, not a right to drive that vehicle,” she said.
“Be aware of your surroundings when you see traffic lights or pedestrians. It doesn't matter if they're jaywalking. You stop.”
Taylor was in a crosswalk when he was struck.
Police say it's believed that at the time of the incident, the crosswalk signal was activated.
THREE HIT-AND-RUN INCIDENTS IN TWO WEEKS
There have been a total of three serious hit-and-run incidents in the city of Calgary over the past 11 days.
The most recent occurred Thursday evening, when a 27-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle and sent to hospital in critical condition.
Officers responded at 7:55 p.m. to the intersection of 17 Avenue and 44 Street S.E. and investigators are now looking for a dark-coloured sedan last seen fleeing west on 17 Avenue S.E.
Another hit-and-run occurred Wednesday, shortly after 12:30 p.m., along 1 Street N.W. near Crescent Heights High School.
A teenage boy was struck and sent to the Foothills Medical Centre in serious but stable condition.
Friday, the Calgary Board of Education gave CTV News the following statement:
"We were concerned to hear that one of our students was struck by a vehicle near Crescent Heights High School on Wednesday. When serious incidents such as this one occur, schools ensure there are teachers and resources available for any students that require additional support," the statement read.
"We are grateful to EMS and the first responders for their response. Our thoughts are with the student and their family at this time."
Foster says the driver in Wednesday’s collision has now come forward and is co-operating with police, but he reminds all Calgarians about the importance of looking after one another.
Foster says it’s the law for drivers to always stop and provide assistance to a pedestrian, cyclist or other driver if they’re involved in a crash.
“With a majority of the collisions we respond to, if the driver had stayed at the scene, they may not be actually charged with anything at all,” said Foster.
“We understand it’s that panic moment: ‘Oh, my God, my driving licence is expired' or 'I've got no insurance' (or) 'I ran a red light.’ Whatever it may be, to be brutally honest, I don't care, you always stop and render assistance.”
Maria Bagdonas, education manager with Young Drivers of Canada, also spoke out against Calgary’s most recent increase in hit-and-run incidents.
She says the most common crash involving pedestrians is one in which a driver is attempting to make a left turn at a major intersection.
She says it’s more important than ever to be aware during the bright hour of the day or late at night, when it’s more difficult to see on the roads.
“We've got daylight saving time that's ending in a week, so the nighttime hours are going to be getting longer, the mornings are going to be great, but the evenings are going to start to happen earlier and that means the overhead lights are going to be coming on sooner,” she said.
“So just being very, very cognizant of the fact that we all deal with glare and bright lights differently, but you have to be aware, it only takes a number of milliseconds for a crash to happen.”
