A woman is looking for witnesses after her daughter was involved in an alleged hit-and-run in Oak Bay that left her with minor injuries and killed their family dog.
Julianne Cameron said her daughter, 20, and one-and-a-half year old French bulldog named Louie were hit at the crosswalk at Leighton Road and Foul Bay Road on Thursday afternoon around 1:30 p.m.
“When she entered the crosswalk with her dog she was struck and it was pretty gruesome,” Cameron said. “The last vision she has of her dog is a gory image.”
Cameron, who is a high school teacher, said she took the day off on Friday to care for her daughter who is “hysterical” and has been “wailing” since the incident.
READ ALSO: Collision on Royal Oak Drive kills 89-year-old man
She said two individuals, one who is known to Cameron, got out of their vehicles to help her daughter and one of them rushed the dog to the VCA Canada Central Victoria Veterinary Hospital near Mayfair Shopping Centre. Unfortunately, the dog had damage to his head and could not be saved.
“This was my daughter’s best friend,” Cameron said. “He was just the friendliest dog ever.”
Now, Cameron is asking for any other witnesses to come forward with any information they may have about the incident.
READ ALSO: Woman hit by car in marked crosswalk this morning in Oak Bay
The Victoria Police Department said the incident is under investigation but could not confirm any details, including what sort of vehicle was involved or if it is being treated as a hit-and-run.
Cameron said she’s concerned about the lack of safety of the crosswalk, as well. She said she walks through it every day and that it is a common passageway for students who attend Oak Bay High School.
In August, 2018, a driver was charged with failing to yield after a woman was hit at that same crosswalk. The pedestrian suffered serious injury to her leg.
“For our healing we need to know if there will be a change in that crosswalk and if it will be made safer,” Cameron said. She has not yet made the city aware of her concerns.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Cameron at 250-893-5957.
shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com
