Over the span of 12 years, a friendship blossomed from a senseless tragedy. Now carrying an important message, an unbreakable bond connects a victim and first responder. A 2014 car crash dramatically changed the life of one woman. Just as her world turned upside-down, an unlikely friend appeared. A senseless tragedy Mallorie Wild was 19 years old when she was hit by a drunk driver walking home from the bar along Penetang Street, near downtown Barrie in 2014. At 2:30 a.m., Wild was walking along the dimly lit road, when a Honda Civic hit her from behind. “I hit off the windshield and fell off the car,” said Wild. “I was getting up off the ground, he gassed and dragged me up the road.” Wild was dragged 100 metres up the road and ended up under a parked car. The driver of the car that hit her took off. Detective Constable Rick Hueson was one of the first police officers on the scene. “When she was struck, her body went into the actual windshield and when she came back out, a clump of her hair was stuck in the windshield,” said Hueson. Wild added, “I remember waking up on the road after I had been pulled out from under the car. Bystanders heard me screaming and came out to help.” Fortunately for police, there was a man riding his bicycle in the area at the time. Hueson said the cyclist got a good look at the car that hit Wild, watching as the driver got out of the vehicle to look around. “He was there and he witnessed it all and gave us a description,” said Hueson, adding it only took police twenty minutes to find the vehicle, parked in a nearby park. The 20-year-old driver was arrested and charged with impaired driving causing bodily harm. It would take more than a year for the legal chapter of Wild’s story to close. The driver would be sentenced to two years probation and a three-year driving ban. The road to recovery Shortly thereafter, a new chapter opened, one that was 12 years in the making. “One of my jobs was to check the conditions of the victim,” said Hueson. “I stayed in contact becoming close with Mallorie’s father, mother and sister. Eventually, it grew into a friendship.” Hueson shared that being a dad, he related to Wild, who was just 19 at the time. “For many years, Mallorie would call me – sometimes for life advice,” said Hueson. “He’s someone who I’m comfortable with and can be myself with,” Wild added, sharing her intent on taking the board exam for acupuncture in the near future. Hueson shared similar sentiments. “I’ve been a police officer for 24 years. Typically, we don’t stay this close to the victims over the years but part of me thought, they’re such good people and such a good family,” said Hueson. “Very rarely do you meet good people so why wouldn’t you want them in your life? I think I’ll probably be friends with yourself, your mom and your dad forever,” Hueson said to Wild. It wasn’t easy for Wild as she would need 27 surgeries in the years to come. “It’s all about the silver lining and the positives. Things could always be worse,” said Wild. “I could have lost my leg, but I still have it. I could have died but I’m still here.” Wild has chosen to never meet the person responsible for the accident. Wild said she would have “nothing good” to say to him. “I’m forgiving because I understand it’s life and we’re all growing and all learning but at the same time, it’s a completely avoidable mistake,” she said. Wild has become a spokesperson for MADD Canada, sharing her story through the organization’s online video series. “Don’t drink and drive. You don’t know if you’re going to ruin your life, you don’t know if you’re going to ruin somebody else’s life – at the end of the day, it’s just not worth it,” she warned. Hueson added, “That could’ve easily been a fatality, even though Mallorie has had 27 surgeries, she’s still with us and now she can start a new chapter so I think that’s awesome.” And that new chapter is a baby girl, due in three months. The name is still up for light-hearted discussion. “How about Ricki with an ‘i’?” joked Hueson to Wild. While laughing, Wild reminded her investigator-turned-friend-and-mentor that the baby shower is at the end of the month.
