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Comox Valley hit-and-run victim identified

The victim of a hit-and-run on Comox Road who lay in nearby brush for several hours has been identified as Molly (Megan) Burton, 24.
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Molly (Megan) Burton remains in a Victoria-area hospital following a hit-and-run Wednesday evening on Comox (Dyke) Road.

The victim of a hit-and-run incident late Wednesday night on Comox Road who lay in nearby brush for several hours has been identified as Molly (Megan) Burton, 24.

Burton, who suffered critical injuries, remains in a Victoria hospital.

A 16-year-old Comox Valley teen was earlier identified as the suspect driver.

Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Burton was struck by a vehicle and remained in nearby brush for approximately four hours until a cyclist heard her screams for help.

Brody Fullerton was across the water when he heard screaming. He took out his flashlight and examined the brush, and thought someone might have been lost.

"It was dark and I was shining along the shores," he told media.

He asked if the victim was OK and she screamed back that she needed an ambulance.

Fullerton took his bike and searched the bushes for her voice, and found her about 45 minutes later.

"He kept her hope up; within minutes of her becoming conscious (in hospital) she was talking about how incredible he was," Leslie Wells, the victim's mother, told the Comox Valley Record on Friday. "She was in the middle of blackberry bushes covered with scratches and bruises … and Brody made his way around and located her."

Wells, a Comox Valley counsellor, added her daughter was wearing a summer dress and her legs were bare. She did have a sweater, which was "pretty much ripped apart" and was cold and bleeding.

"He was the difference between life and death," added Wells.

She said Burton saw the car coming her way and tried to move, but the car swerved towards her. Despite the injuries, she added her daughter remembers exactly what happened.

The victim's lower right leg and right arm are very badly damaged, Wells confirmed.

Burton, who is in intensive care at a Victoria-area hospital after being treated at St. Joseph's General Hospital in Comox, underwent surgery Thursday and will require more, explained her mom.

"She's in a lot of pain but she's still really witty and funny," Wells noted.

Burton's father added that, because of a planned trip to Palm Springs, his daughter initially resisted giving police their phone number because she wanted her parents to take their vacation.

Comox Valley RCMP are requesting charges of failing to stop at the scene of an accident and dangerous driving causing bodily harm, both Criminal Code offences.

The vehicle has been seized and is being examined.

The victim's father said he is extremely thankful to everyone who has helped his daughter.

"Thank you to the first responders and the the staff at St. Joe's. They were very professional and were really good to us. Everything is very overwhelming and it's amazing that so many people care."

— With a file from CTV Vancouver Island

photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com

 



Erin Haluschak

About the Author: Erin Haluschak

Erin Haluschak is a journalist with the Comox Valley Record since 2008. She is also the editor of Trio Magazine...
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