The Nanaimo RCMP is investigating after an 18-year-old woman was struck by a vehicle in a hit and run incident on Oct. 12.
The victim told police she was walking through the east parking lot of Brooks Landing Mall around 11:30 a.m. when she noticed a grey SUV driving towards her. The vehicle revved its engine as it got closer and struck her with enough force to lift her off the ground, the woman told RCMP.
“She managed to maintain her balance and did not fall to the ground. Before she could get a look at the driver and vehicle, the vehicle continued through the parking lot and was last seen turning onto Departure Bay Road,” reads a Nanaimo RCMP release. The woman did not get a good look at the driver, police said.
The victim called her boyfriend, who drove her to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where she was treated for soft tissue damage, according to police.
Investigators were unable to find any surveillance cameras in the parking lot that would have captured the collision. The victim told police another vehicle drove by immediately after she was struck. She said a passenger in that vehicle appeared to be asking if she was okay, but the vehicle did not stop. She could not provide a description of the vehicle or passenger, police said.
Anyone with information about the incident can call the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345 and quote file #2021-38398.
