A local family is pleading with drivers to slow down and use caution on the road following a preventable crash that claimed the life of a loved one.
Wendy Clark, 66, was struck in a hit-and-run collision on the afternoon of October 19 on Main Street in Ridgetown, as she was getting out of her vehicle. She was rushed to hospital but tragically succumbed to her injuries two days later.
Rachel Mattsson, Clark’s daughter, said her mother’s common-law partner and her two-year-old nephew were in the car at the time of the collision.
The vehicle that hit Clark fled the scene before authorities arrived, but witness statements and surveillance video helped police locate the driver.
Mattsson said the passing of her mother has left her entire family reeling.
“A hit-and-run was not something I ever thought would be the words to used to describe how my mother died,” she said. “Her sudden death has crumbled our family’s world. It was driver error, completely preventable.”
She added that it would have made a big difference if the driver had stayed at the scene after her mother was hit.
“It would have made it feel like an accident, not a crime,” she said.
Mattsson described her mother as very caring and the kind of person who would help anyone in need.
“My mom was a super-talented lady. You give her any task to do and she would get it done. She was the one I would call for anything,” she said. “Being the strength that my mother is not here to be — it’s big shoes to fill.”
As a result of the hit-and-run collision, a 38-year-old Ridgetown man is currently facing charges of failing to remain at a collision resulting in bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, and two Highway Traffic Act-related offenses.
Since the charges were laid prior to Clark’s death, Chatham-Kent Police Service Constable Jason Herder said upgraded charges are anticipated.
“There are still aspects of that investigation that are ongoing,” said Herder. “Because the matter is before the courts, there’s not really much we can disclose.”
Mattsson praised police for making a quick arrest following the collision and said it made a big difference to her and her family.
“Them making an arrest as quickly as they did, that also changed our journey. I could get to the hospital and I could sit beside my mother and be positive because I knew that I don’t have to worry about that [aspect]. So I’m very, very grateful for that,” she said.
However, Constable Herder said during some crash investigations police officers don’t always have all the answers right away.
“There are times when a collision is not so straightforward that we have maybe a video camera or a great eye witness,” he said. “I think the hardest part of the job is going to the families and breaking that news of what’s happened when you don’t have the answers just yet.”
Wednesday marked the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims and the unofficial kickoff of the Chatham-Kent police Festive RIDE campaign, which will see officers conducting spot checks for impaired drivers.
According to CK police, there have been 12 fatalities on municipal roads in CK so far this year, and 20 people have suffered serious life-threatening injuries.
“Our goal is to reduce that number to zero. That’s the goal,” said Herder. “We don’t want to lose any lives on the roadways.”
