Known as a kind and compassionate person, willing to help anyone in need, Wendy Clark was remembered Wednesday night by loved ones who hope to prevent others from experiencing the same loss they did last month.
The 66-year-old Morpeth woman was seriously injured in an alleged hit and run on Main Street in Ridgetown Oct. 19, dying of her injuries in hospital two days later.
“She would do anything for anyone — the shirt off her back,” her daughter Rachel Mattsson said, adding the tragedy is just starting to sink in.
With her husband Peter at her side, the Mattssons were taking part in the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims, with a special event held at the Chatham-Kent police’s traffic unit headquarters on Dillon Road.
The day is set aside annually to remember those killed or seriously injured on Canada’s roads. Police say many collisions are preventable and result from impaired driving, speeding, driving aggressively, driving while distracted or failing to wear a seatbelt.
Mattsson expects it will be especially difficult for the family given the upcoming holiday season.
“My mom was a super-talented lady,” she said. “You give her any task to do, anything, she would get it done.
“From Day 1, I just said we would try to make her proud. So, we’ll stand up and we’ll get through it. But it’s tough.”
According to previously published reports, police learned Clark had just exited her vehicle when she was struck by a passing vehicle.
She was rushed to the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and later airlifted to Windsor with life-threatening injuries, where she later died.
Officers found a suspect vehicle and driver with the help of witnesses and video surveillance, police said.
A 38-year-old Ridgetown man was arrested and charged with failing to remain at a collision resulting in bodily harm, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and two related Highway Traffic Act offences. The accused was held for a bail hearing and later released with a Dec. 2 court date.
It’s anticipated new charges will be laid against the accused following Clark’s death.
“There are still aspects of that investigation that are still ongoing,” Const. Jason Herder said at Wednesday’s event. “The matter is before the courts.”
He said 12 people have died in crashes on Chatham-Kent roads this year to date, with 10 last year and eight in 2020.
“Our goal is to reduce that number to zero,” he said. “We don’t want to lose any more lives on our roads.”
In addition to police enforcement, Herder said public education and compliance are key. He noted that tragic incidents also take a toll on officers and other emergency responders, saying they share the pain with the families of victims.
const. Josh Flikweert said driving is a privilege, not a right, and that the decisions drivers make can have reverberating impacts. He urged people to “think about that before they step into their vehicles.”