Family seeks answers after teen critically injured in Carling collision

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Bruised, bloodied and heavily sedated, 15-year-old Audrey Cameron lies in an intensive-care unit bed with family members maintaining a constant watch at her side.

“We’re taking shifts pretty much around the clock,” said Ian Cameron, her uncle. “We want to make sure there’s somebody always with her.”

Audrey, a Grade 10 student at Nepean High School, was critically injured Monday morning when she was struck by a car as she crossed Carling Avenue. Now police — and her family — hope more witnesses come forward who might help them better understand the tragedy.

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Audrey and her brother were on their way to school at about 8:30 a.m., each riding an e-scooter on the south sidewalk beside the eastbound lanes. They planned to cross Carling at a traffic light at Saigon Court, just before Carling passes under the Queensway.

According to her uncle, two cars were stopped in the right-hand and middle lanes when Audrey started across the crosswalk. She was struck by an eastbound vehicle travelling in the left-hand lane, Ian Cameron said.

The intersection is controlled by a traffic light, but is partly obscured to eastbound traffic by a curve in the road. A sign about 100 metres ahead of the intersection cautions of the limited sight lines and warns drivers to be prepared to stop when its yellow lights flash.

“She was thrown right over top the vehicle and landed on her head,” Cameron said. “Her helmet was shattered.”

Emergency responders were at the scene in minutes — a fire station is just a block away. The driver stopped at the scene.

“Fire and police arrived really quickly. They were amazing. And she went right to the Civic (hospital campus) and the emergency team put on her on life support right away and they basically saved her life.”

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A CT scan showed Audrey had a broken pelvis and a broken left knee, while an MRI scan revealed a traumatic brain injury.

She was kept in a coma for 36 hours to allow her brain to heal.

“Initially she wasn’t responding at all. We were fearful that she might not make it,” Cameron said.

Since then, Audrey has gradually improved.

“I could see that she appeared to be in pain and I asked if she needed pain control and she was able to nod,” said Ian Cameron, a veterinarian at the Westboro Animal Hospital.

“Because of the traumatic brain injury, she’s a bit responsive, but she’s not able to talk. Hopefully, with the plasticity of a younger brain, that will come back soon.”

Cameron said his niece was artistic, thoughtful, “smart as a whip” and an animal lover. He hopes that one day she’ll come to work at the veterinary clinic.

“She was about to get a kitten just before the accident,” he said. “She’s getting one for sure now.”

With permission from Audrey’s family, Ian Cameron published a Facebook post pleading for anyone who hadn’t already spoken to police to come forward with details about the collision.

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“Perhaps someone you know may have been close and witnessed what happened. My family will be truly grateful for your help,” he wrote. “This gentle and talented artist now has a long road to recovery, but my family is thankful she is alive still.”

“We’re not trying to make any inferences,” Cameron said Thursday. “We’re just trying to get information about what happened. Her brother said she stopped at the intersection and there were two cars stopped and that’s why she thought it was safe to cross. And, frankly, I can’t see why she would cross if she didn’t think it was safe. She’s a pretty careful kid.”

Investigators hope to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the collision or may have dashcam video of the scene and has not yet spoken to police.

Anyone with information was asked to contact the Ottawa Police Service Fatal Collision Investigation Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 2345. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or online at crimestoppers.ca.

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