Miranda Shaffer was airlifted in critical condition to Vancouver General Hospital, where she is undergoing a series of operations.
A woman severely injured in a head-on crash on West Saanich Road on Tuesday involving an alleged drunk driver faces a long road to recovery and may never walk again, says her brother.
Miranda Shaffer was airlifted in critical condition to Vancouver General Hospital, where she is undergoing a series of operations. She suffered two broken bones in her neck, a fractured hand and foot, multiple lacerations and a brain bleed, said Marty Milner.
Shaffer was driving north on West Saanich Road with husband Josh Shaffer at about 9:15 p.m. Tuesday when their vehicle was hit head-on.
Saanich police said the driver of the southbound vehicle, who appeared not to be injured, refused to provide a breath sample and was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving.
Detectives with the Saanich Police Major Crime Unit have taken over the investigation and are recommending criminal charges.
Milner said the families are devastated by the collision. The couple was just married in May.
He said Josh Shaffer was conscious after the crash and able to crawl out of the wreck. He is now “terribly traumatized.”
“Anyone who knows Miranda and Josh knows they’re a beautiful couple who are madly in love,” said Milner, who has started an online fundraiser to help the couple. “They deserved a healthy, normal start of their marriage. That was ripped away from them, and they instead now have a long, painful and arduous road of recovery together that will change the rest of their lives.”
He said Miranda’s injuries are catastrophic. “[She] is unable to breathe on her own, will likely never walk again and possibly will never be able to use her upper body as well.”
The online fundraiser had already collected more than $71,000 of its $100,000 goal by Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, detectives want to speak with anyone who saw the truck involved in the crash anywhere on the Saanich Peninsula or southern Gulf Islands that day.
The vehicle is described as a grey 2003 four-door Chevrolet Silverado 4×4 with a distinctive rack in its bed that extends over the rear portion of the cab.
Anyone who saw the vehicle is asked to call 250-475-4321 and reference file 26-21541.