OLDS – Still bruised and banged up but never giving up, Sheryl Knock is completely focused on who crashed into her on a snow-swept freeway near Olds last week and then just took off to leave her injured or even worse.
The collision between Knock, who was driving home to Calgary from St. Albert on Highway 2, occurred shortly 6 p.m. on March 20 when her vehicle, a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, was struck on the passenger side by a still unidentified red pickup truck that was hauling a large cargo trailer, now believed to be between 14 to 20 feet in length.
The force of impact forced Knock’s vehicle into a ditch inside the median of the freeway, knocking out about 60 feet of wire barrier.
“The trailer and the truck were jack-knifed on the highway,” Knock told the Albertan last week. “And then it straightened out and left the scene.”
Fortunately for Knock her physical injuries were not serious, but she is tired and sore all over and has headaches.
There is tingling up the back of her head and her ear lobes still burn. She has bruising on her left thigh and her hips feel like they are out of place.
“I don’t know if I am traumatized anymore but I still have a little anxiety when I speak about it. I am emotional,” said Knock, who is also recuperating from unrelated abdominal surgery on Feb. 20. “I saw a doctor yesterday. I'm seeking some kind of counseling just to help me talk about this. I'm trying to deal with it as best I can.”
Despite all the current health challenges she is focused on having the hit and run culprit found.
Olds RCMP has launched a full probe.
Two days after the crash she announced through the Albertan she was offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who has information that would lead to the arrest of the hit and run driver.
This week she has doubled that reward to $50,000.
“It's been almost a week now and I have received two tips that are consistent from two different people, and other than that nothing else has materialized,” said Knock, adding the tips indicated the same information; a female driver and a vehicle with a company logo.
She said the tip information has been forwarded to the Olds RCMP and Calgary Police Service.
But more information is needed, said Knock.
“There were people on the highway. There's got to be somebody that knows something, a neighbour, an employee, a parent; somebody knows something,” said Knock.
“And $25,000 didn't seem like it was going to cut it and so I made a decision to increase it. I just can't see how you can hide that kind of trailer and truck.”
On March 25, she visited an accident recovery yard in Olds to take another look at her vehicle, which is now considered a write-off.
She took many photos, including ones that clearly showed red paint markings on her damaged vehicle; similar to the colour of the vehicle that struck her on March 20.
Anyone with information on the identity and location of the hit and run driver can email Knock at [email protected], contact the Olds RCMP at 403-556-3324 or the Calgary Police service at 403-266-1234 or email at [email protected].
