Suspect in hit-and-run crash that killed Mexican farm worker turns himself in: police
Farmer describes woman as an eager and likeable worker
A 21-year-old man has turned himself in, police say, following a hit-and-run crash that killed a mother of two from Mexico.
Niagara police say the Pelham man is charged with dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene of an accident.
The pickup truck believed to have been involved in the collision has also been recovered, according to investigators.
"At the request of her family, the victim's name is not being released, however, detectives are able to confirm she was a Mexican national living the Niagara Region and employed at a local farm," stated police in a media release.
People who knew and worked with the woman told CBC News her first name was Zenaida.
She had worked at Tregunno Fruit Farms for the past two seasons to "put bread on the table for her daughters and to help her parents financially," said Wilfred Bout, a pastoral worker who has been active in the migrant community for years and started a GoFundMe campaign for her family.
Zenaida's two young daughters, ages seven and eleven, are now without a mother, he added.
The fundraiser for her family will cover transportation and funeral costs, said Bout. It will also help Zenaida's grandparents raise the two girls and cover some of their education. The campaign has raised more than $25,000, so far.
'So tragic and such a waste'
Phil Tregunno, one of the owners of the farm where Zenaida worked, described her as very personable, eager and likeable.
On Wednesday, the farmer encouraged whoever hit her to turn themselves in, describing a hit-and-run as a "pretty low thing."
He added Zenaida's death hit the migrant worker community in the area hard because a sudden tragedy like this makes them think about what would happen to their loved ones if they were to suddenly be killed in Canada.
"Everybody is up here trying to help their families back home," said the farmer. "It's just so tragic and such a waste."
Police say the woman was hit by a pickup truck near the corner of Concession 7 and Line 6 Roads just before 11 p.m. on August 17.
Investigators say the 33-year-old suffered critical injuries and later died in hospital.
The truck did not stop, say police. It was last seen heading south down Concession 7 Road.
Police say the Pelham man is currently in custody and is scheduled to appear in a St. Catharines courtroom for a bail hearing on Aug. 22.