Fundraiser launched for Calgary teen hit by vehicles and left seriously injured

Candace Napesis was on her way to work when she passed an accident scene early last Friday.

Her fiancé pulled over to see if they could help, but a crowd of people were already tending to someone lying motionless on the pavement.

The couple eventually drove off. They only found out later the victim was their son.

“At the time, we didn’t know it was Allan,” father-in-law Geo Wellman told CityNews. “We didn’t get out because there were already people helping.

“I feel like an idiot. But he was facedown and it was dark.” 

A short time later, police called Napesis. Her 16-year-old son Allan was at Foothills Medical Centre with extensive injuries.

After a six-hour surgery, Allan is now in the ICU with a brace drilled into his hips to allow his shattered pelvis to repair. Tire marks run across his legs.

“All he remembers is he was hit by a car and went up over it and the second one ran him over,” Wellman said.  “Right now, I don’t think he has grasped it all. He’s very medicated.

“When we saw him at the hospital, he brought his hands out and started crying saying he got hit by a car.”

Police tell CityNews the incident happened just prior to 7 a.m. Nov. 17, near Memorial Drive and Marlborough Way NE. 

They say drivers in two vehicles believed to be involved remained on scene and the investigation is ongoing.

Wellman feels lucky the Grade 11 Jack James High School student is alive with no spinal injuries or brain injuries, saying the “strong-minded” teen who loves skateboarding “is used to falling” and will be ready to stand again when the time comes.

The next step is to get into a wheelchair before Allan relearns how to walk.

His parents say he’ll be in hospital for at least another six weeks. 

Another obstacle

When he comes home, the family — which has a Give Send Go set up for Allan — worries about where they will all be living.

For now, the family of six — four children aged four to 16 and a dog — live in a 1975 Dodge RV parked outside a relative’s house. 

“We’ve been looking for a place for seven months,” Napesis says.

Finding a place in Calgary is tough these days, a task made more challenging with a large family, a pet and a budget of, at most, $2,200 for rent.

The family had an affordable rental for two years until the landlord didn’t renew the lease, saying she needed to move in herself.

Wellman says they have heard it all — ‘your kids need to be over age 16, your family is too large, no pets.’

Napesis says there are a lot of bidding wars between dozens of people who show up to view rentals they all hope to call home. Sometimes, she adds, rentals are listed at a decent price but landlords have come back asking her, “How much more are you willing to give me?”

Right now, the family relies on Napesis’ income, which is above minimum wage but not enough. 

The family was approved by Calgary Housing a few months ago but have no update to confirm whether they are on a waitlist or not.