The sister of a woman who died recently in West Kelowna after being struck by a car is reaching out with an unexpected message.
“We want to figure out a way to reach (the driver) and just give our condolences to them as well, because something like that is just so heartbreaking. And that person will be haunted forever by an accident that they never intended,” said Tia Marie Salisbury, the sister of Raederele Votary, who died Feb. 4.
“They stayed with (my sister) and my mom. She really wants to make sure that she lets (them) know that she’s so thankful for them, staying with my sister and trying to help her and do everything that they could. We have no animosity, we have no hatred towards this person.”
From what she’s learned, it wasn’t a case of negligence.
“There wasn’t any alcohol and there weren’t any drugs involved — the (driver) was going the speed limit,” Salisbury said. “(My sister) was just there and, and he wasn’t on his phone or distracted driving. Nothing.”
Salisbury has been told the driver just didn’t see Votary, who was walking on Highway 97 near Grizzly Road in West Kelowna on Friday night, and she hopes to hear from them to learn more about what happened.
The driver’s life changed that night, too, Salisbury said.
The family has also started a fundraising campaign aimed at raising the $2,500 cost aimed at bringing the body back to Lethbridge, where they’re from
They said if anything extra is raised, they will donate it to a cause close to their hearts: addiction services.
“She’s leaving behind her five-year-old daughter, three sisters, her mom and dad that loved her very much,” she said.
Supports offered to those who suffer from addiction are things that they know she would have appreciated.
RCMP said that the crash involving Votary happened just after 11 p.m., along the northbound lanes of Highway 97 near Grizzly Road. A police officer on patrol noticed the collision just after it happened.
The road was temporarily closed while police collected evidence and spoke to witnesses.
The B.C. Coroners Service is conducting a parallel investigation.
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