‘This doesn’t have to be your story’: Calgary family finds closure after arrest made in October hit-and-run
Posted Feb 28, 2023 1:30 pm.
Last Updated Feb 28, 2023 1:32 pm.
After Calgary teen Brandon Taylor woke up from a coma early in the year, he and his family are seeing closure after a suspect was arrested.
On Feb. 23, Calgary police said 40-year-old Richard Blanchet faces “one count of failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm.”
He is set to appear in court on April 4.
“It’s more than I can [conceive] right now. I didn’t realize how many emotions would be involved with that news,” Taylor’s mom Kailey Naugler told CityNews in her home.
“Yes, of course, we’re ecstatic that we can continue on with some form of closure with the situation, but at the same time, I was already prepared to move on with life.”
In October, Taylor was crossing 16 Avenue NW at the intersection of 46 Street in the Montgomery area at around 7 p.m. when police say a white SUV struck him.
The teen spent months in a coma at the children’s hospital, with his family pleading for the suspect to come forward at the time.
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While Naugler is breathing a sigh of relief and feeling optimistic about her son’s recovery, it was a much different story four months ago.
Still, throughout Taylor’s journey, a consistent emotion for Naugler has been one of compassion and even concern for the driver’s well-being.
“I’ve played around with the idea of [being] able to sit with this person and just talk to them and feel where they are and allow them to feel where we are,” Naugler said.
“But at the same time, you never know who that person is or the reaction. So there’s fear with that as well. But I do wish to have a conversation with this person and just let them know … this doesn’t have to be your story.”
Brandon Taylor speaks with CItyNews inside his home in Calgary on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews photo)
The grade 12 student is now on the path to recovery.
He’s doing half days of learning at the children’s hospital and physical and speech therapy.
And in a few short weeks, he’s progressed from a wheelchair to a walker.
The teen is determined to one day ride his skateboard again, and for now, he’s keeping his spirits up by singing, playing video games, and playing the ukulele.
