A 19-year-old woman is dead and her 19-year-old boyfriend has been seriously injured after a hit-and-run on County Road 36 just north of Bobcaygeon on Wednesday afternoon (September 25).
Police have located and arrested an 86-year-old Bobcaygeon man who was allegedly driving the vehicle when it hit the couple walking along the highway and then fled the scene.
At around 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call from a witness who advised they had located two people with serious injuries in the ditch on the north side of County Road 36 near Moon Line Road.
A passerby was performing CPR when police and emergency crews arrived at the scene.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was airlifted to a Toronto-area trauma centre with serious injures.
Police received information about a vehicle that had been seen earlier in the area, with damage to its front end. Officers were able to locate the vehicle and its owner.
As a result of the investigation, 86-year-old Carl Lee of Bobcaygeon was arrested and charged with failing to stop after an accident resulting in death and failing to stop after an accident resulting in bodily harm. The accused man is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on November 5.
County Road 36 was closed in both directions for several hours while police conducted their investigation.
While police have not released the names of the victims, the man’s father Anthony Vella identified them as Alana Lowey and Aiden Vella in a social media post.
According to a GoFundMe campaign set up for the victims’ families by Kim Wilson, Lowey moved to Bobcaygeon two months ago from Saskatchewan.
Wilson says the couple were walking down the highway when they were struck by the vehicle, and the driver did not stop or call for help.
“We don’t know if Alana would have had a chance if help had arrived sooner,” Wilson says on the GoFundMe page. “Sadly, it’s not something we will ever know.”
In a social media post, Vella’s father says his son remains in hospital but is expected to recover from his injuries.
Wilson says Vella will need financial help as he recovers and Lowey’s family will have expenses to have her returned to Saskatchewan. As of the date of this story, over $4,700 of the $15,000 goal had been raised.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has surveillance or dash camera footage of the collision, and who has not yet spoken with police, is asked to contact the Peterborough County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
