The injuries that Barbara Kentner suffered after being struck by a trailer hitch thrown at her from a moving vehicle in Thunder Bay, Ont., appear to be fatal, according to her sister.

Kentner, 34, required surgery after being hit in the abdomen by the trailer hitch on January 29. She was released from hospital in time to take part in a walk in her honour for her February 5, but later returned to medical care.

Her sister, Melissa Kentner, told CBC News that Barbara has never recovered from her injuries.

"Her belly always fills with fluid and it's attacking her kidneys," Melissa Kentner said. "Now those are failing."

There's little more that doctors can do to save her sister, she said, and Barbara left hospital on Friday so that she could be with her family at home.

"She is going to die from this thing that happened to her," Melissa Kentner said. "No one should ever have to go through it."

An 18-year-old man was charged with aggravated assault relating to the incident.