A friend of the victim of a hit and run near Mayerthorpe earlier this week is urging the public for help in identifying the driver who hit his friend.
On Sunday, November 25 Danny Dea, 35, and his son were pulled over to the side of Highway 43 after hitting a deer. As Dea was getting back into his vehicle, he was hit by a semi truck.
RCMP say the driver of the semi fled the scene without stopping, and Dea’s son was left to drag his father off of the highway.
Dea was air lifted by STARS Air Ambulance to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, then transferred to the University of Alberta Hospital.
“He suffered a badly broken leg, broken hip, broken pelvis,” explained Dea’s lifelong friend Dave Dozois.
Dea has undergone one surgery, and is scheduled for pelvis surgery on Sunday. He will also require several skin grafts.
“His spirits are up for the most part. He’s always had somebody in there by his side 24/7 since this happened,” Dozois said.
“We were all very scared, very worried,” he said adding, “It really traumatized the whole family and his son who had to pull him off the highway.”
Dozois says Dea’s son has been doing relatively okay since the collision.
“He’s got his wits about him and everything but, I hate to think about what it’s doing inside.”
Now, Dea’s family and friends are urging the driver of the semi truck to come forward.
“We don’t know if he even knows that something happened,” explained Dozois.
He says they don’t have a lot of information about the semi truck or the circumstances but, RCMP say the truck was pulling a white cargo trailer with lots of orange and red lights down the side.
While Dea is in rough shape, his family and friends say they’re just thankful he’s alive.
“We all feel so lucky that he’s even still here with us,” Dozois said.
Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Mayerthorpe RCMP, or their local police.
Dea’s friends have set up a trust fund to help him and his family while he recovers.
Anyone who would like to donate can do so through CIBC, account number 09039 8156581 010.
With files from Jenna Bridges.
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