‘She’s in so much pain’: Fundraising efforts underway for N.S. teen struck by vehicle

Kristen Mills, 15, seen in this undated photo, was struck by a vehicle in Pictou Landing First Nation on June 18. (Submitted)

A Nova Scotia teenager is recovering in hospital after she was struck by a vehicle last week.

Kristen Mills, 15, was walking home from a Pride event in Pictou Landing First Nation around 4:30 p.m. on June 18 when she was hit by the vehicle on Beach Road.

“She was with her cousins and they parted ways at the intersection, and she went right to go home, and the other two cousins went left,” said Kristen’s godmother Kara Boyles.

While Boyles was not there when it happened, she said she was told a vehicle had stopped to let Kristen cross, but another kept going.

“The driver that hit her, I don’t know if he didn’t see her or what,” she said. “I don’t know why he didn’t see her.”

Nova Scotia RCMP confirmed officers, EHS and fire services were called to the scene that day.

“Responding officers learned a Hyundai Elantra struck a youth who was crossing the road,” said police in an email to CTV News.

The driver, a 69-year-old man, was not injured.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and no charges have been laid at this time.

While RCMP said the teen’s injuries were non-life-threatening, Boyles said she broke her spine in two places – one in her neck and the other in her lower back.

“They were clean breaks, I guess,” said Boyles. “She doesn’t need surgery.”

‘Currency for Krissy’

Kristen was rushed to hospital following the collision and has been recovering at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax.

At this point, it’s not clear how long she’ll be there.

“It’s day by day. She can’t go home until she can be up on her own and she cannot. She’s in so much pain that it just hurts too much to be up,” said Boyles.

While Kristen is in hospital, her parents have been by her side, while her other two siblings are back in their community. It’s been a challenging time for the family, as Pictou Landing First Nation is about 170 kilometres northeast of Halifax.

“It’s rough. Everybody’s affected – the whole community really. Her little brother is worried about her and her big sister, obviously, and family like her mom and dad,” said Boyles. “This is a big impact because now they’re not working, and you have two other kids at home.”

To help with expenses, the Fishery Department along with the Pictou Landing First Nation Fire Department have been fundraising for the family. They’re hosting a boot drive called “Currency for Krissy.”

“They set up on either end of the community because we have two entry points, and we were just asking for donations for help for the family. You know, the hospital stays away in the city are quite expensive, and they’re unable to work.”

Since the incident, Boyles has been keeping her goddaughter in her thoughts.

“She’s young. She has a whole life ahead of her, right? This event is already going to affect her for probably the rest of her life.”

Urging caution

On the afternoon of the collision, Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Tamara Young urged people to drive with care.

“As a small community, we cannot stress enough the importance of driving slowly and being mindful of our children. Their safety depends on all of us,” she said in a Facebook post.

Young said the community will be getting a crosswalk in response to a recent study showing an increase in traffic going through the community.

“We are still pushing for another crosswalk, specifically at that intersection of Beach/Birch,” she said.

She said pylons were also placed on the main road to get traffic to slow down.

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