The victim of a hit-and-run incident in the Comox Valley underwent a second surgery on her injured right leg Sunday night at a Victoria hospital, her mother said Monday.
Molly (Megan) Burton, 24, lay in nearby brush for several hours with critical injuries after being struck last Wednesday shortly before midnight by a vehicle on Comox (Dyke) Road.
"She's in a lot of pain," her mother Leslie Wells told the Comox Valley Record on Monday, noting further surgery is required. "She's just such a trouper; she's learning lots of relaxation strategies."
Her arm is uncomfortable and swollen inside a "massive cast," added Wells, who is unsure what will happen with the arm. "It's uncomfortable. It's heavy and it's hot. (But) We've been focusing more on the leg. I don't know what else has to happen with the arm.
"Aside from that, she's completely bruised and scratched," Wells said. "She's pretty miserable, but she's being nice to everybody; it's amazing."
Wells said her daughter brightens when she receives flowers and reads online wishes from the public.
Though not really up for visitors, the highlight of Burton's hospital stay so far has been a visit from her younger sister, Kelly, who lives in Vancouver.
Since the incident, Burton has spoken with Brody Fullerton, the young man who heard her anguished screams and searched for 45 minutes in the darkness before he found the badly injured woman. She hopes to meet Fullerton at some point and thank him in person.
"It was dark and I was shining (with a flashpoint) along the shores," said Fullerton, who was on his boat when he heard screaming, he told the 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, finding 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," Wells said 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 (Fullerton) was the difference between life and death," added Molly's father, Ralph Burton.
Wells said Molly 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.
Molly's lower right leg and right arm are very badly damaged, Wells confirmed.
Burton, who is in intensive care at a Victoria hospital after being treated initially at St. Joseph's General Hospital in Comox, underwent surgery Thursday.
"She's in a lot of pain but she's still really witty and funny," Wells noted.
Ralph 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.
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."
A 16-year-old Comox Valley teen has been identified as the suspect driver.
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.
— With a file from CTV Vancouver Island
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