The family of a Norfolk teen who died after he was hit by a pickup while walking along a road is pleading for the driver to turn themselves in, the teen’s step-grandmother said.
The family of a Norfolk teen who died after he was hit by a pickup while walking along a road is pleading for the driver to turn themselves in, the teen’s step-grandmother said.
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“The family is hurting really bad and we need the community’s assistance in this person being found,” Laurie Markham said.
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“Police are working day and night and have been receiving tips through Crime Stoppers and they are following up on every tip they’re receiving,” she said. “We’re grateful for that. We want this individual to turn themselves in.”
Dominik Short-Empey, 14, was struck by a pickup truck on Fairground Road in Cultus, a rural community about 20 kilometers west of Port Rowan, at about 5:25 pm Wednesday. The driver left the scene, Norfolk County OPP said.
Short-Empey died later in hospital.
The OPP told the family Thursday night investigators are looking for a dark gray Sierra pickup truck made between 2004 and 2014 with front-end damage and a broken head light, Markham said.
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“The whole family is pleading” with the driver to turn themselves in, she said.
Markham described Dominik as a carefree teen with “a heart of gold.
“He was a wonderful, fun-loving kid,” she said. “He loved dirt bikes and he was looking so forward to getting his license so he could drive a motorcycle. He recently bought a dirt bike that he and his dad were going to rebuild.”
Dominik was a well-liked Grade 10 student at Valley Heights Secondary School near Langton and worked at Tim Hortons on Oxford Street in Tillsonburg.
Teachers at Valley Heights describe him as “a quiet, honest young man who always looked out for his friends.
“He was highly skilled in hands-on technology courses and a valued member of his school community,” the Grand Erie school board said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed by the staff and students at Valley Heights, and especially by those who were fortunate enough to be his friends.”
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Supports are available for “anyone feeling the impact of this tragic news,” the board said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family to provide “love and support in this extremely difficult time by helping them ease any financial burdens they may face at this time.”
Investigators from the Norfolk OPP Crime Unit and the OPP West Region Traffic Incident Management Enforcement Team urge anyone who traveled on Fairground Road between the 5th and 6th Concession from 5 pm to 5:30 pm to contact police if they have dash cam footage of the incident or observed anything unusual.
Residents in the area are asked to check their surveillance cameras to see if recordings were made of the pedestrian or vehicle involved in the crash.
Anyone with relevant information is asked to call OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Anonymous tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.helpsolvecrime.com.
Those who knew Dominik are invited to attend a public visitation on Tuesday between 6 and 8 pm in the Maurice J. Verhoeve Funeral Homes Chapel in Langton.
His funeral will be held Wednesday, at 11 am at the funeral home.
-with files from Michelle Ruby, Brantford Expositor
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