Okanagan community sends support to woman, 29, hit by a car while walking home

Lake Country, B.C., resident Ashley Paxman, 29, was struck by a car while she was walking home from work along Highway 97 earlier this month. (Submitted by Tasha Meuser - image credit)

Residents of Lake Country, B.C., are rallying to support Ashley Paxman, a 29-year-old woman who was hit by a car while walking home from work earlier this month.

Paxman was struck by a vehicle along Highway 97 in the Central Okanagan community around 9 p.m. PT on Feb. 18. She was severely injured as a result.

"Ashley was hit so hard that her shoes came right off," Paxman's cousin Tasha Meuser said Wednesday to Sarah Penton, the host of CBC's Radio West.

Meuser says the driver didn't know he had hit Paxman until he arrived home.

"He realized that there was blood and hair on his car, and so he called his daughter to go check out the spot on the road where he thought [the crash] might have happened," Meuser said. "They called 911 at that time and got Ashley to the hospital."

Severe injuries

Paxman is still in intensive care after multiple surgeries to repair her tongue and reconstruct her fingers. She is still being sedated.

"One of her eyes was severely damaged and she has … [a] bleed on both sides of her brain," Meuser said. "Multiple bones in her face were shattered, and she will have lasting nerve damage."

Meuser says her cousin is an incredibly hard worker, holding down two jobs, despite all the life tragedies she has experienced over the past several years.

"Three years ago, she lost her dad," said Meuser. "He had a stroke."

Paxman's mother had a stroke shortly after her husband's death. The 29-year-old also lost her uncle to cancer before her father died, and her aunt passed away last summer.

Family and community praying

Meuser says she and family members are praying for Paxman's speedy recovery.

Meuser says she's heartened by the donations to Paxman's family after she set up a fundraiser for her cousin.

"Many people have been not only donating, but just sending their prayers," she said. "It's just such an incredible response."

The police continue to investigate the incident while the driver is cooperating with police. Anyone who might be able to help is asked to call Lake Country RCMP at 250-766-2288 or Crimestoppers at 250-860-8336 or 1-800-222-8477. The