‘Ripped from this world’: Woman pleads guilty to hit-and-run that killed mother in Abbotsford

A woman has pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident in a December hit-and-run in Abbotsford, B.C., that killed a mother of two.

Laurie Brietzke, 47, was struck while near Bevan Avenue and Gladwin Road on Dec. 16. She died in the hospital.

At the time, Abbotsford police said the driver of the vehicle fled but was located shortly afterward. The court heard that Brietzke was lying on the road when she was hit and had a high blood-alcohol content.

Niki Vo, 22, pleaded guilty at the Abbotsford Law Courts Friday morning. She was fined $1,500 with a victim surcharge of $225, due in September.

“She was very sorry,” said Brietzke’s mother, Margot Bridal, outside the courthouse after the hearing.

“There’s something that’s not being said somewhere,” she added, wondering why her daughter was left in the middle of the road. “Way too many unanswered questions.”

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Bridal described her daughter as a “butterfly,” whose “love for butterflies was well-known.”

“Her smile went from one side of her face to the other. She lit up the sky for most people,” she said.

“If I needed somebody, I could phone her for anything and she’d talk.”

Brietzke’s aunt, Sonia Brietzke, said the loving mother of two was “always helping people.”

“She was one person that was ripped from this world way too early.”

Brietzke’s sons are 21 and 22 years old.

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Failing to remain at the scene is a motor vehicle offence, not a criminal one.

Vo was a new driver who was not speeding or drinking at the time of the accident and had a clean driving record, the court heard Friday. A bystander called 911 in the aftermath of the evening crash.

Vo called 911 about half an hour later and admitted to being the driver. She has co-operated with police since then, said her lawyer Gagan Nahal.

“We all know this was a very emotional, sensitive, tragic case. The community lost a mother of two, someone’s daughter, a partner,” he told reporters.

“She offered her apology and condolences to the family who was present in court today. She was very emotional while she was listening to victim impact statements, the moment she entered the court … I can say that she showed genuine remorse. ”

Vo declined to speak with media after the hearing.

Editor’s Note: This is a corrected story. The previous version said Brietzke was hit while walking. In fact, she was lying on the road when she was hit.