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Woman killed in hit and run near Parksville remembered as headstrong, kind

The woman killed in a hit and run in Parksville last weekend loved dancing, horror movies and “being a goofball,” says a friend.
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Friends have identified Keana Hugh, 22, as the victim in a hit and run Saturday morning in Parksville. Submitted by Paxton Gilmour

The woman killed in a hit and run in Parksville last weekend loved dancing, horror movies and “being a goofball,” says a friend.

Keana Hugh, 22, has been identified by friends as the victim in a hit and run on the four-lane Highway 19 north of exit 51 near the Alberni Highway interchange.

Police are investigating the death. The victim was apparently crossing from the Coombs side to the Parksville side when she was hit just before 4 a.m., police said. There is a pedestrian underpass nearby.

Paxton Gilmour, a friend of Hugh, described her as independent, headstrong and kind.

“She loved being a goofball. She loved anything that made her laugh,” said Gilmour, who met Hugh through dance lessons in Parksville when they were about 11 years old. The two went to the same high school and got their first apartment together when they were 16.

They lived together for about a year until Gilmour moved to Ontario.

“I hope everyone remembers her as genuinely one of the most kind and headstrong people,” she said.

A 55-year-old man from Woss turned himself in as the owner of a vehicle police believe is connected to the hit and run.

The investigation continues.

Anyone with information regarding this collision, including any dash camera video, is asked to call E Division Island Traffic Services – Central Island at 250-954-2953.

regan-elliott@timescolonist.com