Public plea from girl’s parents
Driver involved in crash that killed teenager urged to come forward
The parents of a teen killed by a hit-and-run driver in Port Coquitlam made a passionate plea Thursday for the driver to come forward and report to police.
Annie Leung, 16, a Riverside Secondary student was hit by a vehicle at the intersection of Mary Hill Road and Pitt River Road at 3:30 p.m. on Sept 10.
She was rushed to hospital in critical condition and died from her injuries a short time later.
Coquitlam RCMP released a surveillance video a few days later showing a possible suspect’s black pickup truck stopping at the scene of the accident with an older male getting out of the vehicle, then getting back in and driving away.
Since then, RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said investigators have been following up on leads, but there has still been no arrest.
Parents Ricky and Maggie Leung put on a brave face Thursday as they addressed the media outside the Coquitlam RCMP detachment.
“There is a driver who knows what happened at Mary Hill Road and Pitt River Road on Sept. 10,” said Maggie.
“Annie is our only child,” she continued.
“A beautiful young life was taken away in this hit-and-run accident. We understand it is an accident and no one wants it to happen. We can forgive you, Annie would forgive you, because she was such a kind caring child. We urge you to step forward and tell us what happened — it is not too late.”
Father Ricky said the driver can help with their healing by coming forward.
“I would ask the driver not to run and hide,” he said. “Turn yourself in and tell us what happened.”
“We have been suffering,” said Maggie. “Annie, she was only 16 and she should have had a beautiful life ahead of her.”
Chung said investigators received tips after the video of the black pickup was made public.
“Rest assured we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this,” he said.
By going public with the plea, Chung said they hope the driver realizes there needs to be some accountability for the tragedy.
“The purpose of this is to give the person a chance to come forward.”
“Maggie and Ricky deserve some sort of closure.”
Anyone with information is asked to call 604-945-1550.