Our heartfelt condolences to the Fortuna family as they continue to mourn Paul. Our thoughts are with Victoria as she recovers, and with everyone who loved him.
A 22-year-old Sherwood Park woman has been charged, nine months after a crash on Anthony Henday Drive killed Calgary father Paul Fortuna while he was helping his daughter change a flat tire.
Anah Kryzanowski is charged with dangerous operation causing death and dangerous operation causing bodily harm. She is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 9.
The charges have not been proven in court.
A flat tire on the Henday
It was just before 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8.
Victoria Fortuna, then 21, was driving on the east side of the Henday when she got a flat. She pulled onto the shoulder near the Wye Road overpass and called her parents for help.
Her father, Paul, 53, came. He parked behind her, and the two got out to change the tire.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee hit the back of one of the stopped vehicles, and Paul and Victoria were struck, according to Strathcona County RCMP and the family. CityNews reports that police and witnesses said the Jeep had been driving on the shoulder.
Paul died at the scene.
Strangers stopped to help
People driving by pulled over. Among them were a doctor and his wife, a nurse, who worked to stop Victoria’s bleeding at the roadside, her family said.
Victoria was rushed to the University of Alberta Hospital. In February, the family said both of her legs had been amputated and she’d been in an induced coma.
She couldn’t be at her father’s celebration of life in Calgary, so she watched it on Zoom.
“She just wants a hug from her dad,” her aunt, Laurel Cousens, said at the time. “It’s heartbreaking to watch.”
Victoria had moved from Calgary to Edmonton to study fine arts at MacEwan University. Before the crash, she’d worked as a background performer on Alberta productions, including The Last of Us and Heartland.
In February, the family called the crash “so unfair and so unnecessary,” and asked drivers to take more care. “This could be your daughter, sister, friend, niece, granddaughter,” Cousens said.
Fundraiser raises more than $305,000
A fundraiser for Victoria and her family had raised $305,794 toward its $350,000 goal as of Nov. 10, from about 2,400 donations.
The campaign says the money will help with costs including a place for her mother and sister to stay in Edmonton, rehabilitation, specialized leg prosthetics and mental health support.
Support Victoria Fortuna and her family on GoFundMe.
Roadside safety
Alberta’s driver’s guide describes the highway shoulder as an emergency stopping lane, for drivers who have an urgent situation or vehicle trouble.
After the crash, RCMP advised drivers with a flat or car trouble to take the next exit if they can safely do so. If they have to stop, they should pull over as far as possible, onto the grass if it’s safe.
When you approach a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck or highway maintenance vehicle with flashing lights, Alberta law says you must move over if you’re in the closest lane and it’s safe. If you can’t safely change lanes, you must slow to 60 km/h or the posted limit, whichever is lower.
What happens next
Kryzanowski is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 9. The charges have not been proven in court.
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