Fort Lauderdale man wakes from coma after hit-and-run
Traumatic cranial injury: that’s what Montreal police are saying is the result of a hit-and-run on Quebec’s Fête nationale.
Zachary Zelinsky, 30, is almost 3,000 kilometres away from home, and has been in a Montreal hospital with severe injuries since June 24, when he was allegedly knocked down and dragged by a car in a parking garage on St-Laurent and de Maisonneuve Blvds. The car then drove away north on St-Laurent.
The Fort Lauderdale man is still in critical condition, police say.
According to the victim’s father Mark Zelinsky’s Facebook page, where he posts updates on his son’s condition, Zelinsky is now awake after having been in an induced coma while medical professionals waited for the swelling in his brain to go down.
“It’s kind of touch-and-go right now,” family friend Cody James told the Montreal Gazette from Fort Lauderdale.
“He’s kind of responsive at some points, but he’s not all there. Something is not normal.”
While Zelinsky’s family could not be reached by press time, James said his parents, Mark and Janet, have visited Montreal two or three times since their son was injured.
“They’re hanging in there, they’re doing what they have to to get by,” James said.
James started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Zelinsky and his family, which has garnered $650 so far.
While it is unclear whether Zelinsky has health insurance in Canada, James said the family might have other expenses related to the incident.
“Zach is going to have a lot of therapy, and a lot of things he’s going to have to do once he comes back (to Florida), and I figure anything that can help will help,” James said, adding Zelinsky would give the shirt off his back were the situation reversed.
“It wasn’t about the money … it was about trying to do anything I could to help Zach,” he said.
Mark Zelinsky said on Facebook Sunday that his son had undergone a tracheotomy Saturday. “Zachary will be at Montreal General (Hospital) for quite some time,” he wrote. “This journey, wherever it might go, has only just begun.”
He added that a nurse said his son could be breathing without a ventilator soon, and a neurologist said his skull would be reassembled in four weeks.
Police have offered a reward of up to $3,000 to anyone who can give information that will help identify the suspect, who was reportedly driving a black G37 Infiniti from between 2009 and 2013. The reward was given by an anonymous donor to Sun Youth, police say.
In the security footage of the incident, Zelinsky is seen approaching a driver, and the two engage in conversation.
At one point, Zelinsky tries to open the car door, and that’s when the suspect drove away, dragging Zelinsky, according to police. He hit the left side of his head, according to James.
It is not known whether the victim and suspect knew each other.