Dear Editor,

I write to you after a near-fatal accident in Richmond, where my daughter and I are recovering from the trauma of being struck by a reckless driver who ran a red light on Westminster Highway.

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The crash happened at 10:32 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the very busy intersection with the Highway 99 exit ramp and Westminster Highway. The other driver was travelling east on Westminster Highway, at what must have been an excess of 60 km/hr, in his effort to race through the red light facing him at the intersection. I was turning left.

I need someone who saw this crash to please come forward and help me.

This experience was terrifying, and while I feel so lucky that my daughter and I have only mild injuries, I am shocked that not a single driver stopped to see if we were alright. I have included a photo so that you can see, this was no small fender-bender.

Mine is the small silver sedan. As I climbed my way out of the airbags, through my daughter’s screaming, the driver waited for me on the street, apologizing for his terrible mistake. But not a single person stopped, despite there being cars in every lane around us.

And now, the driver is lying about his mistake.

If drivers like this are not held accountable, they will never change the way they drive and their next mistake could be fatal.

I am 42 years old, have lived in the Lower Mainland my whole life, and I have never had a car crash in all my years of driving.

I am hoping for some evidence to restore my faith in society. How could dozens of drivers weave their way around such an awful scene without stopping to help? I want to believe that people in Richmond are caring and compassionate, and that perhaps they didn’t realize I needed their support.

Without a witness, I have no chance of securing the support I need to recover from this violation, and the community will be threatened by this thoughtless driver who will not receive fair retribution.

Randi Kruse

Richmond