Police have arrested a suspect in a hit-and-run that seriously injured a 64-year-old pedestrian in Burnaby last month.
Emergency crews were called to Canada Way and Burris Street at about 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 11 for a collision involving a pedestrian and a vehicle, according to Burnaby RCMP.
The pedestrian had been crossing the street when a vehicle turning left onto Canada Way eastbound failed to yield and hit her, the detachment said at the time.
The driver did not stay at the scene, according to police.
The pedestrian, later identified as local care aide Maria Espedido, was rushed to intensive care with a badly broken right arm, broken ribs, punctured lung, bruised and cut liver and internal bleeding.
Burnaby resident Larisa Grace, whose mother has dementia and is one of Espedido’s clients, told the Burnaby NOW Espedido is "one of the most beautiful humans" she has ever met and it was "shocking" the driver didn't stop to help.
On Thursday, Burnaby RCMP announced a suspect had been arrested in the case.
A 45-year-old Burnaby man was taken into custody Thursday, according to the detachment.
"We have been dedicating resources to this investigation since the outset, and I am proud of the work that our criminal collision investigation team and other units have done to forward this investigation," Burnaby RCMP Supt. Sunny Parmar said in a news release. "We are thinking of the victim as she continues to recover from her injuries.“
Espedido, who spent 20 days in hospital and still suffers from complications and pain related to the accident, was emotional Thursday after the arrest was announced.
"I am so grateful," she told the NOW in a phone interview.
The investigation is ongoing.
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