Mar 3, 2022

Family amazed by Serene Summers' progress; witness says hit-and-run driver stopped before racing off Back to video “Her memory, wit, kindness and overall personality are shining through more each day,” her mother, Anita Armstrong, said Wednesday. After first communicating with her family with sign language, Serene has managed to whisper a few words, even though her vocal cords remain paralyzed, Armstrong said. A photo shows Serene in her blue hospital gown, smiling as she stands while gripping the hands of two CHEO caregivers. “Serene is doing miraculously well!” Armstrong said in a text message. “Everyone is amazed at her progress.” Friends and neighbours are blanketing the neighbourhood around Meadowlands Drive near Orkney Private with flyers pleading for information about the black Honda Civic coupe police believe was driven by the hit-and-run suspect. Colleen Salinas’ 12-year-old daughter, Eva, is Serene’s best friend and was with Serene when she was struck. Advertisement Article content “We’ve been canvassing throughout the neighbourhood, talking to people, getting the word out,” Salinas said. “We’re all rallying for Serene. We’re all rallying for Eva. We’re supporting Serene’s family so they can put all their energy into her. We’re doing the legwork to try to seek justice for Eva and Serene.” It was Super Bowl Sunday, the day before Valentine’s Day, when Serene and Eva went by bus to the Dollar Store to buy Valentine’s Day cards for Grade 7 classmates. On the trip home, they got off the bus and were crossing to the north side of Meadowlands at Orkney, east of Fisher Avenue. Serene crossed the road. The car came out of nowhere, heading west, Eva said. “Eva said she’s never seen a car go so fast on Meadowlands before. She saw everything that happened,” Salinas said. “I got this frantic call from Eva saying, ‘Serene’s been hit and she’s laying in the road. '” Advertisement Article content Salinas sprinted to the scene less than a minute from their house. “Eva was hysterical and Serene is lying on the ground and, of course, her little Valentines are all over the road,” Salinas said. “The scene was horrible. The Valentines everywhere — that is something I’ll never get out of my head.” Eva told her mom — and police — the driver of the car stopped after striking Serene and briefly backed up. Eva said she saw the shadow of someone in the passenger seat turning to look back at the girls before the vehicle raced away. Several other vehicles passed the scene afterwards, she said. “There were other cars. They stopped, let her cross, then they kept going. For about a minute or two, Eva was by herself with Serene, yelling and screaming and waving her arms, but at the same she was patting Serene’s back, telling her, ‘You’re going to be OK. I’m going to get your mom. I’m going to stay here with you. '” Advertisement Article content Serene spent more than two weeks in a medically induced coma as doctors tried to ease the pressure from her bleeding and swelling brain. Last weekend they began to wean her off the heavy sedation. Eva has been traumatized by what she saw, her mother said. “She’s been to school maybe three days since. She can’t sleep. She’s been in counselling for PTSD. The flashbacks. The nightmares. It’s debilitating for her. She can’t move. She’s just frozen in fear and pain and sadness. “Every morning when she wakes up she says, ‘I can’t believe that person is still out there, just living their life.’ “These two innocent girls who just wanted Valentines. That’s all they wanted. And now one of them is fighting for her life and the other’s life has been changed forever.” Advertisement Article content Salinas also set up a Justice for Serene Twitter account (@for_serene) to spread the message. The car is known to have frequented the area and an alert Internet sleuth has found Google Streetview images of a similar vehicle parked nearby. Salinas has also posted images of the area where the collision occurred with the hope it might trigger memories. Police released photographs of the suspect’s vehicle, a black two-door Honda Civic, model year 2006-2011, possibly with front-end damage. Anyone with information is asked to call the Ottawa Police Service collisions investigations unit at 613-236-1222, extension 2481. Tips can also be given anonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling toll-free to 1-800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppers.ca. Police are looking for a Honda Civic believed to be involved in a hit and run Feb. 13 at Meadowlands and Fisher that seriously injured a 13-year-old girl. Photo by Ottawa police /jpg Share this article in your social network Share this Story: Family amazed by Serene Summers' progress; witness says hit-and-run driver stopped before racing off