Kairry Nguyen and Tuan Bui heard for the first time on Monday the chilling details of what happened to their young daughter as she walked to school on the morning of Dec. 20, 2017.
Leila Bui was struck in a crosswalk at the intersection of Ash Road and Torquay Drive at 8:15 a.m. by a black Mercedes SUV driven by Tenessa Nikirk. The catastrophic injuries suffered by Leila, who was 11 at the time, have changed their family forever.
Nikirk has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
As the trial began in Victoria provincial court, Nguyen and Bui learned that Nikirk was sending and receiving texts from 8 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. the morning of the crash.
They watched video captured by the dash cam of witness Julia Fellman of Nikirk’s black SUV passing Fellman’s car on Ash Road at a speed Fellman estimated at more than 80 km/h.
“This is my first time hearing everything because I didn’t really want to hear any of this stuff at the beginning,” said Nguyen, during a break in the long court day.
“I was just more focused on Leila and her recovery. To tell you the truth, the day [of the crash] is not something I really want to remember.
“I know she got hit. But I didn’t know she got hit that hard that she dented a car and pieces fell off, stuff like that. … This kind of puts everything in perspective. It is very hard.”
Nguyen’s voice shook and her eyes filled with tears. “I just wanted to be here to know now. I’m ready to know, even though it’s really hard, because it happened so fast. It changed all of our lives. She’s there but she’s not there.”
Leila’s parents plan to attend the trial, which is expected to last eight days. Nguyen has taken time off work and her sister has come from out of town to help look after Leila’s three siblings.
Leila had a rough time earlier this year when the shunt in her head became infected and she was hospitalized for a period of time, her mother said.
“It was a really scary time for my husband and me. It was kind of like the accident happening all over again. They weren’t sure she would pull through. It was a very hard time for her and, of course, for us.”
Leila had a seizure and was on antibiotics for two months. But she pulled through at the 11th hour and is now living without her shunt.
“She pulled through another miracle,” said Bui. “We can breathe a little easier, but at the same time, it’s hard to know what’s happening inside her.
“We continue to take good care of her and give her love and support and positive energy. We have faith and hope and belief that she will come back.”
Leila is doing much better now, said Nguyen.
