Calgary teen, Brandon Taylor and his family continue to focus on his recovery nearly two years after he was struck by an SUV.
The 19-year-old’s life was turn upside down after he attempted to cross 16th Avenue N.W. in October 2o22.
Police said Taylor was hit while walking in a marked crosswalk with the signal activated, the driver fled the scene.
“If I hit someone with a car, I would immediately stop the car and help them to the best of my abilities,” Taylor said. “I don’t understand why he just took off.”
In February 2023, police announced they had charged 40-year-old Richard Blanchet with one count of failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm.
In June he was sentenced to five months in jail.
“I still think it was a selfish act and he panicked, and his selfish behavior carried through,” Taylor’s mother Kailey Naugler said. “I’m just thankful there was a conclusion to it, but in many cases people don’t even see the inside of a cell.”
There has been some uplifting milestones, last month Taylor was able to walk the stage with his peers even though he was unable to officially graduate.
“If it’s those small things where he gets to wear a cap and gown, even though he didn’t make the marks, that’s something,” Naugler said.