Saanich police looking for driver, after 14-year-old cyclist hurt in hit-and-run

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WATCH: Parents of 14-year-old are shocked a driver took off after hitting their child in Saanich. Isabelle Raghem reports. 

For the first time since the accident Friday, 14-year-old Megan Barnes and her father Darrell Barnes returned Saturday to the ditch where she was hit. 

“I thought i’d been hit by a car, but it didn’t feel the way I think it would have felt,” says Megan Barnes, “I guess there was just so much adrenaline that I didn’t feel as much pain as I thought i would have felt.”

The national athlete was cycling with a friend along Willis Point Rd. around 4 p.m. Friday, when the bumper of a pickup truck allegedly hit her from behind.

A witness says they saw the truck slow down before driving off. 

While the racing bike she got for Christmas is ruined, her father is thankful she walked away with only minor injuries. 

“We can replace a bike, but you can’t replace a child,” says Darrell Barnes. 

But with a sore leg and no bike, her training has been put on hold.

“I’m suppose to be going to a race next weekend in Vancouver and now I’m not sure if i’ll be going anymore,” says the teen.

Her coach is outraged by what happened.

“This is an empathetic kid with skills that gets mowed down,” says Tripleshot cycling coach Lister Farrar, “there’s a shoulder there, there’s a line, she was in the bike lane. This person is out of control and deserves to be in jail.”

 

Megan Barnes wishes some motorists were more cautious around cyclists. 

She looks forward to getting back on her bike. 

Police say the vehicle is described as a charcoal grey Dodge Dakota pickup truck, with wooden sides. 

 

The driver is described to be a woman with blonde hair and a heavier set built.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Saanich police at 250-475-4321 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

 

Isabelle RaghemIsabelle Raghem

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