The victim in last week’s hit-and-run in Campbell River has been identified as 58-year-old Kelly Kafka of Woss, according to friends who are raising funds for the badly injured woman.
Don Baker and Patricia Chartier, who live across the street from Kafka’s home in the close-knit North Island community, say that she’s in a medically-induced coma at a hospital in Victoria.
The incident has left Kafka with multiple broken bones and a brain injury, said Chartier, who drove to Victoria with Kafka’s son to visit her in hospital last week.
“She’s in very critical condition,” Chartier said. “The worst concern is the brain injury.”
Baker set up a GoFundMe page on Sunday to collect donations for Kafka. He’s also collecting money through email transfers at dbinbc@hotmail.com. By Monday morning, $1,760 had been raised, mostly from locals, he said.
“The fund is for whatever her needs are,” Baker said.
The couple plans to visit Kafka when she comes out of the coma.
Friends who work at the Woss General Store are also raising funds for Kafka through a 50/50 draw. An employee at the store, who declined to provide her name, said news about Kafka came as a shock to people in the community.
“Lots of people have been upset,” she said, adding that Kafka used to clean rooms in a hotel at the store.
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Campbell River RCMP said in a media release on Friday that a pedestrian was in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle on the 1800 block of Highway 19A.
Police responded to the call at about 9:15 p.m. on Feb. 28. They asked the public to help identify the victim of the hit-and-run, saying that she wasn’t carrying identification.
Police later said that she’d been identified, but wouldn’t release her name.
The RCMP also said that a white car involved in the incident was located and seized. The suspected driver had been “identified and spoken to by investigators,” according to police.
“At this point is the investigation is ongoing,” said Cpl. Ron Vlooswyk of the Campbell River RCMP in an email. “We are certainly preparing for charges.”
Police say they’re still looking for anyone who saw a white Chevrolet Cruze in the area immediately before or after the collision. They’re also asking for anyone with dashcam footage to come forward.
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