A Syrian refugee who was mowed down by an SUV on a sidewalk off Bath Road on Tuesday remains in critical condition at Kingston General Hospital.

Abeer Abo Hajar, a 35-year-old mother of four young children, continues to receive medical care in the intensive care unit at Kingston General Hospital, and her family says doctors do not yet know if she will survive.

“She is in a coma. Everything is broken,” Bashar Shehna, Abeer’s husband, said with the help of a translator. “She may die.”

The family has been in Kingston for three months, after fleeing the conflict in Syria.

Bashar and Abeer were looking forward to starting their new life in Canada and to giving their children a chance at education and a peaceful life.

“We left our country to have a future for our children, our family,” Bashar said. “We came here for safety. We left our country because there is war there, and death every day.

“We travelled far from our country to escape death, but death waited for my wife here.”

According to a news release from Kingston Police, on the afternoon of March 5 a 28-year-old driver of a Hummer drove the vehicle off Bath Road and onto the sidewalk at a high rate of speed, where Abeer was walking.

She tried to get out of the way but was struck, and was then rushed to KGH with life-threatening injuries, according to police.

A passenger in the vehicle also suffered life-threatening injuries, said police.

The SUV struck a tree and was heavily damaged. The driver and passenger had to be extricated from the wreckage by firefighters and police.

Kingston Police later released the name of the suspect as Brandon Desjardins, and said they believe the man drove onto the sidewalk to avoid traffic on Bath Road. Desjardins has been charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. The charges have not been proven in court.

Bassam Abu Hajar, Abeer’s uncle, says he trusts the Canadian justice system to ensure the accused answers to the charges.

“I have confidence in Canadian justice and law,” he said, with the help of Google translate. “I thank the Canadian people for their sympathy.”

The family is waiting to hear more from doctors on Monday, when they will begin to lower the level of drugs in Abeer’s system and see what her condition will be.

“I am feeling broken,” Bashar said. “I have children.”

Family members are caring for the couple’s four children, who are ages seven, three, one, and four months. They do not know that their mother has been injured.

“Every day they are asking for mom,” Zakariah Abu Hajar, Abeer’s cousin, said. “We are telling them she will be back soon.”

Bashar thanked the Kingston Police for their work investigating the crash and Kingston General Hospital for caring for her.

He also thanked Kingstonians in general for their outpouring of kindness during this difficult time for his family. He says the community has reached out to him, offering him kindness and showing concern for Abeer.

“Thanks for praying for us,” he said. “We love Kingston.”

Zakariah, who acted as a translator for the other family members, said he cannot fully articulate the feelings of Bashar.

“I can’t express how much love and thanks they have for the people of Kingston,” he said.

An online crowdfunding campaign has raised $3,750 as of Monday afternoon. It can be viewed at www.gofundme.com/8b94bq-bashar-family.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident on March 5 to contact Det. Joel Fisher at 613-549-4660, ext. 6338, or via email at jfisher@kingstonpolice.ca, or Det. Scott Huffman at 613-549-4660, ext. 6322, or via email at shuffman@kingstonpolice.ca.

Tips can be provided anonymously by calling 613-549-4660, ext. 0, and asking to be remain anonymous.

mbalogh@postmedia.com