A 19-year-old woman has made “remarkable progress,” according to police, after being pinned beneath a pickup truck following a collision on Monday afternoon.
Police are now recommending that the 30-year-old male driver of the truck be charged with impaired driving by drugs causing bodily harm.
Abbotsford Police Const. Paul Walker said it will likely take several weeks or months for Crown counsel to approve the charges, as more evidence – including toxicology reports – is gathered.
Police were called to the 30700 block of Cardinal Avenue near Highstreet mall in west Abbotsford at about 4:30 p.m. for a report that an eastbound truck had hit a pedestrian on the sidewalk.
Police, fire crews and paramedics arrived to find a young woman pinned under a pickup. Walker said the first responders, as well as several local citizens, worked to free the woman from beneath the vehicle.
She was taken to hospital by air ambulance with serious injuries. Walker said the woman was initially unconscious and motionless at the scene, but paramedics were able to revive her.
While on scene, police received a report of another accident minutes earlier in the 30200 block of Automall Drive. Witnesses described seeing a large truck sideswipe a parked vehicle in the Fraser Valley Auto Mall before departing at a high rate of speed.
Police confirmed that both collisions involved the same suspect truck.
Walker said it is believed that the driver became unconscious before veering off the road on Cardinal Avenue and striking the pedestrian.
The driver remained on the scene and was taken into police custody.
Walker said Tuesday that the female victim had made “remarkable progress” overnight and was listed in stable condition.
Abbotsford Police Department (APD) patrol officers and collision reconstructionists were on the scene for several hours, and are continuing the investigation.
Any witnesses who saw either collision are asked to contact the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or text 222973 (abbypd).