A Sooke woman is in intensive care after she sustained severe injuries, including multiple broken bones, in a head-on car crash on Sooke Road near Kangaroo Road on Aug. 21.
Paula Smith, 33, was heading east on Sooke Road, with her four-month-old daughter, Sophia, in the back seat, when a westbound vehicle suddenly veered into her lane.
According to West Shore RCMP, the driver of the astray vehicle, a man in his 80s, may have drove into the oncoming lane due to a medical condition that caused him to black out.
The collision left both cars severely damaged, and closed Sooke Road for several hours.
Paula was taken to Victoria General Hospital via ambulance with broken legs, multiple fractures in her left knee, broken heel and ankle, collapsed lung, bruised heart, cracked ribs and broken collar bone.
She also received 10 stitches on her head and face.
Sophia, who was buckled into a car seat, left the scene with just bruises.
Her husband, Alexander Smith, was waiting at the hospital before ambulances arrived.
“It’s been a very difficult experience to say the least,” said Alexander in a phone interview.
“I want her to get through this initial stage so she can begin the recovery process,” he said. “I will make sure that everything is being done, that she is looked after in every way.”
Despite her injuries, Alexander said his wife is pushing through.
“She’s doing well in the circumstances, it’s going to be a challenging road ahead,” he said, adding her injuries will entail a year-long recovery period.
In light of the accident, Alexander hopes people will pay better attention when driving along Sooke Road, which is “narrow and winding.”
“If you get complacent behind the wheel and you’re not thinking about what’s happening, the world can change in an instant.”