Woman recovering; no leads in hit-and-run

Recovery is going to be slow for Elycia M. Coleman, the young mother injured Sept. 5 in a hit-and-run crash while on a bicycle ride with her 8-year-old daughter.

Meanwhile, the case remains open with no leads regarding the vehicle that struck Coleman as she and her daughter, Apple, were riding their bikes through the crosswalk at Honeysuckle Avenue and Fourth Street.

“The victim did call in the following day and said that the blue suspect vehicle may have been a Fiat,” wrote Kootenai County Sheriff’s Lt. Stu Miller, in a message.

Toni Verket, Coleman’s mother who lives in Kent, Wash., said her daughter suffered shattered bones in her right arm and in her leg, along with head injuries.

“She was thrown up in the air and several feet out,” Verket said.

Coleman, a single mom with no health insurance, has had two surgeries since the crash. She’s been unable to work at her job as a supervisor at a local fast food restaurant.

Verket said Coleman’s daughter, who witnessed the crash, is having nightmares since it happened.

“There was nothing she could do for her mother,” Verket said.

The 8-year-old described the vehicle to sheriff’s office investigators as a blue passenger car driven by a male. The child told deputies the driver of the blue car looked at both the riders and then drove off westbound on Honeysuckle.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office has asked anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and observed a blue vehicle or

witnessed the crash to contact the sheriff’s office at (208) 446-1300 or by email at [email protected].

Verket said, despite the seriousness of Coleman’s injuries, she’s going to be OK, but it’s going to take some time.

“She’s on an emotional roller-coaster right now, but she’s grateful it was her and not her daughter,” Verket said.

Friends and family are rallying to help Coleman deal with mounting medical bills and daily expenses since she won’t be paid while out of work.

To make a donation, visit gofundme.com/2nyzvpg.