ItB次元官网网址檚 been one year since the driver of a late model Mercedes SUV struck Leila Bui and flung her several metres from the crosswalk on Ash Road at Torquay Drive, changing her and her familyB次元官网网址檚 life forever.
Now 12, Leila remains dependent in a non-responsive state described as B次元官网网址渘ear comaB次元官网网址� and needs constant care. She is fed through a tube that goes directly to her stomach. At times she will show signs of being uncomfortable, grinding her teeth, bobbing her head and making facial expressions though not much otherwise, said her mother Kairry Bui.
Read More:
Read Also:
There have been several upgrades to the intersection but the family says it is still too dangerous. So does a local organization thatB次元官网网址檚 been lobbying to make it safer B次元官网网址� even before Leila was hit.
B次元官网网址淚 wouldnB次元官网网址檛 say the improvements are huge,B次元官网网址� said Bui. B次元官网网址淭hey cut down the [big Arbutus], installed blinking cross-walk lights, but I donB次元官网网址檛 see that as an issue, thereB次元官网网址檚 already a blinking light.B次元官网网址�
No one knows the intersection better than the Buis, who live on the south west corner of Ash Road and Torquay Drive.
B次元官网网址淲e still hear cars screeching to a stop at the intersection,B次元官网网址� Bui said. B次元官网网址淓ven at the beginning of the school year you could see, and hear, the screeching of people stopping.B次元官网网址�
Bui is surprised that despite the improvements and even with locals wearing visibility vests and holding signs to slow down, drivers still speed through the intersection.
B次元官网网址淓very time I come up the [Ash Road] hill towards [the Torquay intersection] I keep looking at the crosswalk wondering why she couldnB次元官网网址檛 see Leila,B次元官网网址� Kairry said. B次元官网网址淲hen you come up the hill youB次元官网网址檙e level, you can see.B次元官网网址�
Related:
Read Also:
It was a sunny morning in Gordon Head on Dec. 20, 2017, when Leila ran out of the family house with her school bag at around 8 a.m., just ahead of her older sister in anticipation of meeting a parent across the street. It was both sunny and shadowy, which police suggested could have led to the driverB次元官网网址檚 inability to see Leila. In October, driver Tenessa Nikirk, then a North Saanich resident, was charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm in relation to the incident.
Leila suffered brain injuries in addition to multiple internal injuries and the impact has been devastating. The family is grateful for two GoFundMe campaigns that helped cover the growing costs of making the home, family van, and everyday life wheelchair accessible for Leila. Between the two campaigns, the family received nearly $40,000 plus significant support from local charity Help Fill A Dream for the van and a ramp to the front door of the home.
B次元官网网址淲e are so grateful, we really were not ready for something like this,B次元官网网址� Bui said.
The family had only moved into the home a year earlier, having outgrown their previous home in the Beckwith neighbourhood, and spent their nest egg on renovations to make the house their B次元官网网址榝orever homeB次元官网网址� when Leila was struck.
Life is different now for the family of six. The two youngest children attend Torquay Elementary while Leila, who was at Arbutus, now attends Victor School for special education, though just a few hours a week. She also receives nurse shifts for in-home care, while her parents have to fill in the gaps.
B次元官网网址淎t school, she listens to music and gets foot rubs, and things to stimulate her,B次元官网网址� Bui said.
As for Ash Road, BuiB次元官网网址檚 answer is a roundabout.
B次元官网网址淎 roundabout is something that will force people to slow down,B次元官网网址� Bui said. B次元官网网址淭here was already a blinking light, and a four-way isnB次元官网网址檛 enough, people can still blow through it. You have all these signals and signs, but they donB次元官网网址檛 force people to slow down.B次元官网网址�
Though their street-side efforts were met with some controversy by police and angry drivers, a representative for Fix Ash Road Now, Rishi Sharma, said the public can expect more advocates to stand street-side with B次元官网网址榮low downB次元官网网址� signs on Ash Road in the new year.
Nikirk has not reached out to the Bui family and has had at least one court hearing already. Her case is ongoing and is believed to be reconvening again in the new year.
