If this weekend has taught us anything, it is to never underestimate the love and support of a strong community.
Sunday morning, 29-year-old Vanessa Pettinger suffered severe injuries from a vehicle collision in Saanich.
Vanessa is the single mother of two children – a girl and a boy – both of whom are currently with their father.
She was pulled from the wreckage and taken into surgery where doctors relieved some of the pressure on her brain. Pettinger is now in intensive care in critical condition, still suffering from severe brain and head injuries.
This information was posted on Facebook by Vanessa’s dad, Daryl Pettinger, who also commented, “Her mother and I are hoping that she can pull through this. She is a strong girl. I know that she can do this.”
The family was amazed by the amount of support flowing in from their community, after one of Vanessa’s friends started a GoFundMe campaign to assist her.
The accident in question occurred when the car hit a tree on Burnside Road West at around 2:30 a.m. – Vanessa was the sole passenger in the car, driven by a 28-year-old Saanich resident.
According to Saanich police, it could take several months to collect and analyze the data from the crash in order to figure out what caused it.
The driver and Pettinger were still in the vehicle when Saanich police arrived. Firefighters and paramedics extricated them.
There are no details available at this time on the condition of the driver.
