A Duncan teenager killed after being struck by two cars on the Trans-Canada Highway early Monday was always smiling and always supportive of family and her many friends, her great-aunt Bernadette Peter-Sam said Wednesday.
Natasha Joe, 13, was part of a group crossing the highway at Boys Road about 3:30 a.m. when she was hit by a car and injured. The driver stopped to help and placed a blanket on Natasha, who was conscious and in pain. Moments later, the girl was struck and killed by a second vehicle, whose driver had switched lanes to avoid the first car.
“The community is in shock. Everyone is having a hard time because she was so young. She was just a baby,” said Peter-Sam, who spoke on behalf of the family. “It’s [affected] not only the First Nations community, but the whole community of Duncan-Cowichan and the surrounding communities.”
Natasha is predeceased by her father, Francis Joe, and survived by her mother, Roberta Goldsmith, and two older sisters. She was going into Grade 9 at Cowichan Secondary School.
Jeff Rowan was Natasha’s principal at Quamichan Middle School last year and would have been her principal this year.
“She was a quiet soul,” Rowan said. “She was very friendly. It’s very sad. It’s very upsetting.”
Natasha’s 18-year-old cousin, Neil Alphonse, was injured by the second car. He was taken to Cowichan General Hospital in stable condition, Peter-Sam said.
On Tuesday night, the Cowichan Tribes held a community meeting. A lot of young people came to support Natasha’s family, said Peter-Sam. “There were a lot of tears.”
Peter-Sam did not know what the youths were doing out at 3 a.m., but said she understood the teens travelled from home to home.
“It would be nice to have a fuller understanding of the events that transpired chronologically that night,” said Peter-Sam, a former RCMP officer. “I know there are a lot of rumours.”
Investigators want to talk to the youths who were with Natasha but left before police arrived.
In the meantime, the family wants to thank police, paramedics and hospital staff for doing their best for Natasha, said Peter-Sam.
“We raise our hands to all of Cowichan and the surrounding communities, both off and on reserve, for their kind support, their kind words,” she said.
A funeral procession from Boys Road to the family’s home and St. Ann’s Catholic Church is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today. Natasha’s funeral will take place 9 a.m. Friday at the church.
