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Central Saanich mom injured in crash still in critical condition

Community continues to rally around Vanessa Pettinger
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Daryl Pettinger says the support for his daughter Vanessa Pettinger has been amazing. The single mother of two suffered serious injuries following a collision Aug. 13 in Saanich. (Facebook)

The family of Central Saanich’s Vanessa Pettinger are in a waiting game, as the 29-year-old single mother of two recovers from surgery following a vehicle collision on Sunday, August 13 in Saanich.

Her father Daryl Pettinger says there has been no change in his daughter’s condition as of Tuesday, Aug. 15. Vanessa, according to her father, is still in critical condition after undergoing surgery to remove pressure on her brain. She was receiving treatment in a local intensive care unit for brain and head injuries.

“At this point in her recovery, it is a waiting game, as brain injuries are a delicate and time sensitive issue,” her father wrote to the News Review Tuesday afternoon.

Vanessa’s two children, a girl and a boy, are with their father, said Daryl Pettinger.

Vanessa Pettinger was a passenger in a vehicle that struck a tree on Burnside Road West at around 2:30 a.m., according to the Saanich Police. The driver was a 28-year-old man from Saanich.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up by Vanessa’s friends to help her family. As of Tuesday, the fundraising effort had raised $10,255 of its $15,000 goal.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, said acting Sgt. Jereme Leslie.

Crews had to extract the passenger, said Leslie.

— with files from Wolf Depner/Black Press