The family of a woman killed in a hit and run in Ridgetown last month says it's been tough coping with the loss of their loved one and are taking it one day at a time.
Wendy Clark, 66 of Howard Township was hit by a passing vehicle as she was getting out of her own vehicle on Main Street in Ridgetown in broad daylight on October 19, 2022, but the suspect vehicle took off.
Clark's daughter Rachel Mattsson got emotional speaking at an event held by Chatham-Kent police on the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims on Wednesday.
Mattsson said her family's world was rocked when when they found out that Clark had been killed and expects life will get tougher dealing with her caring mother's untimely death with Christmas just around the corner.
"Her sudden death has crumbled our family's world. I think we're just starting to feel this now. It's very tough, very tough. My mom was a super-talented lady and we're missing that now," said Mattsson.
Mattsson noted her 86-year-old grandmother is taking it particularly hard because she had to bury her daughter.
Mattsson said she takes solace knowing that police arrested a suspect quickly and that good samaritans at the scene of the tragedy came to the aid of her mother.
"There was an arrest and then later on I found out who it was that laid on the street with my mom and I went to high school with him. So, I had comfort knowing that she wasn't by herself. Then another person came along and laid a blanket on her and she was actually a co-worker of my mother's. These were positives for me and that's how I got through at least the first month," Mattsson said.
Mattsson said she was inconsolable when she found out that her mother had passed away.
"When I found that she was hit by a car and that the driver left, that shook me. I was literally in the waiting room in the ER screaming, 'What do you mean?!' It's unfathomable, really, and I can say that making an arrest as quickly as they did changed our journey. I could get to the hospital, sit beside my mother and see the positive side of things and not worry about that. So, I'm very, very grateful for that," said Mattsson.
Clark's son-in-law Peter Mattsson said it's really sad because he and his wife Rachel moved back to Chatham-Kent to be closer to family.
A 38-year-old Ridgetown man was arrested and charged with failing to remain at the scene of a collision resulting in bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, and two Highway Traffic Act offenses.
Acting Police Sergeant Jason Herder said the investigation continues and the charges could be upgraded. He said the arrest was made quickly with the help of good surveillance video and an excellent witness statement.
Herder said the hardest job for an officer is to tell a family that their loved one has died because the officers feel for the families too, but it's a bit easier when they have some answers for the grieving family as was the case in this death.
Chatham-Kent police said it was important to take a moment to pause and reflect on all those impacted and suffering from severe and fatal road crashes.
"The pain of losing a loved one in a collision is life-changing for family members and friends. Emergency crews, police, and medical professionals, who deal daily with the traumatic aftermath of road crashes, are also significantly impacted by these collisions," said police.
The National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims is a day set aside each year to remember those killed or seriously injured on Canada's roadways.
Police said many collisions are preventable and result from driving while impaired, speeding and/or driving aggressively, driving while distracted, or failing to wear a seat belt.
