A University of Victoria student in a coma since a hit-and-run crash in Saanich last month is now recovering in a Calgary hospital.
The 20-year-old, Aisha Strange, was flown to Calgary over the weekend and is now at Foothills hospital, according to an update on a GoFundMe page set up to help with her recovery. Her parents live in Calgary.
“I’m confident she’s healing inside to prepare herself for the outside when she’s ready,” the update, attributed to Strange’s aunt Sue Nicholls, read.
Strange was struck by a van near the intersection of McKenzie Avenue and Shelbourne Street on the morning of July 15 while driving her scooter to her summer job.
She suffered several broken bones and a traumatic brain injury in the incident, her family wrote in a statement on July 31. She’s been in a coma since the crash.
“Aisha is a kind and generous person, who delights in adding humour and joy to the people around her,” the statement read. “She’s a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend to so many people that love her dearly. The community of people that Aisha touches in such positive ways are all suffering from this senseless act.”
Saanich police said in a news release sent the day of the incident the van’s driver was arrested and being investigated for impaired driving offences.
The driver, a 25-year-old man, did not stop after the collision, instead continuing east until striking a telephone pole. He then abandoned the van and fled on foot, before he was located by police a short time later.
The GoFundMe page set up to help with Strange’s recovery has, as of Aug. 9, raised more than $68,000.
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