Police are investigating a pedestrian collision in the parking lot of the Edmonton Valley Zoo late Tuesday morning that sent a worker to hospital.
According to EPS, it happened near 133 Street and Buena Vista Road.
It was reported that two vehicles were “driving erratically” in the zoo parking lot when they were approached by a staff member. One of the vehicles struck the man and then both vehicles drove away.
EMS responded, treated the employee and took him to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Rachell Fortier told Global News the victim is her 26-year-old son Adam. She was picking up her husband for lunch to celebrate his birthday when paramedics called.
“It’s hard for us. We lost a son in 2011. Our youngest son passed away, so when I heard that my oldest boy had been hit by a car — it’s terrifying. You go through that whole gamut of emotions again. It’s like, ‘What’s happening now?’ To lose another child? No, I don’t want to go there.
“I’m mad that we’re in this position. The same fears come back.”
She said Adam was unconscious when emergency crews first arrived.
“A car had backed up and hit a pole and then went into drive and drove directly into my son,” she said. “My son actually had his back to the vehicle when he was hit.”
Rachell said Adam suffered two broken vertebrae in his neck, a concussion, a small brain bleed, a rotator cuff tear, a separated muscle in his right shoulder and lacerations.
“He doesn’t remember anything from the past 48 hours. Adam’s memory is gone. No recollection of the last two days. He doesn’t remember yesterday or the day before. He’s having a hard time even remembering from this morning.”
Adam remained at the University of Alberta Hospital on Wednesday. Family has been told recovery and physiotherapy will likely take months.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Rachell said. “My son was just doing his job. It’s just wrong.”
Rachell was told there were vehicles doing donuts in the parking lot at the zoo and several employees went out to try and get licence plates. Adam was struck.
“I just want the people who hit my son to do the right thing; to come forward and take responsibility for their actions. Or the people who were there that witnessed it, the friends of the person, to come forward and be held accountable for what they’ve done, not only to Adam; to his co-workers, who witnessed it, to the people who witnessed it who are traumatized by what they saw, to our family.”
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