The family of a young hit-and-run victim received some positive news this weekend.
Grace Haines, 17, is now out of the induced coma she was in after she was struck on Jan. 25 near Keith Road East and St. Andrews Avenue in North Vancouver.
She was out for a run around 10 p.m. when she was struck and then was found unconscious on the road by a passerby.
“So we’ve gone from three weeks ago, not knowing if she’d ever open her eyes again, to seeing at least one of them open, seeing bits of her personality there, which is so amazing,” her father, Chris, told Global News Monday.
“They keep telling us to be patient, and with brain injuries, it takes a long time, you need to be patient. I am just thrilled that she is alive and that she’s conscious again.”
Grace will now be transferred to a rehabilitation centre at B.C. Children’s Hospital for further treatment.
North Vancouver RCMP arrested one suspect a day after the hit-and-run took place, but no charges have been laid and the investigation is ongoing.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have seen or heard “a white, newer model vehicle” in the areas of Keith Road between Ridgeway Avenue and St. George’s Avenue, or in the parking lot of the Safeway in Lynn Valley Centre, to speak with police.