A Kamloops woman continues to deal with her injuries six months after she was hit by a Community Service Officer.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

A Kamloops woman is going to regular physiotherapy and awaiting an MRI six months after she was hit by a bylaw officer.

Kimberly Smylski's knee and shoulder haven't been the same since the bylaw officer, Nicholas Sarai, drove a City vehicle over a curb and hit her while she was walking her dogs.

"My lifestyle has changed," she said. "After about two months, it got to a point where it wasn't getting better."

Smylski had to stop doing most of the things she does for fun this summer after the collision in March. She no longer uses her paddle board, unable to lift it or balance once it's in the water. She left a camping trip three days early this summer and no longer goes for hikes, which she used to do every weekend.

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"I keep reminding myself it could have been so much worse. I can still walk," she said. She repeated her glass-half-full notion several times when speaking with iNFOnews.ca.

Sarai hit her with a City-owned Kia Niro on Valleyview Drive on March 18. She was walking eastbound on the north side of the road when Sarai, driving in the same direction, veered across and onto the sidewalk.

iNFOnews.ca learned of some of the details of the collision through a Freedom of Information request, which was submitted to the City in July.

Smylski said she was hit from behind as Sarai tried to steer away from her, taking a blow from the side of the vehicle rather than the front.

She hit the ground, scraping her body and cutting through her clothes. Along with cuts and bruises, most of the damage was to her right knee and shoulder. While on the ground, she wondered if someone would come to help her, until nearby residents who witnessed the collision ran out to her.

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A person who lives across the street from the scene came out with "his whole family" to help her. She later gave a bouquet of flowers to thank them.

Sarai stayed in the vehicle for "four or five minutes" after the collision, she said.

Once he got out of the car, he claimed that he had dropped his sunglasses and was trying to pick them up. Smylski remains doubtful because he crossed the oncoming lane, a bike lane and drove along the sidewalk.

He also knocked over a bus stop sign.

Police, paramedics and firefighters all came to the scene that afternoon, where Sarai was given a ticket for driving without due care and attention.

The Kamloops RCMP officer at the scene didn't tell Smylski how much Sarai was fined, but it was "significant," Smylski recalled. The minimum amount for that ticket is $100, but it's unclear how much Sarai paid.

"He's got a ticket, paid a fine, and he goes on with his life," she said.

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Smylski continues to go to physiotherapy appointments and hopes her knee will get back to normal, but she has to wait until December for an MRI to see if she needs more intensive medical attention.

She also continues to deal with ICBC for the payments, which covers most of her care, but she's been told by two lawyers that ICBC's no-fault system restricts her from going to court for compensation.

Meanwhile, it's unclear whether there was any discipline for Sarai at the City.

"I want to know there was some kind of consequence," Smylski said, who added the City did not follow up with her or offer any apology.

Court records show Sarai was also given a ticket in May for distracted driving, two months after he hit Smylski. It's not clear if he was driving a City vehicle at the time.

"I didn't know his name until your article," she said. "To me, it felt very swept under the rug."

She added that she was surprised that it took six months for the collision to be known publicly, adding that when emergency services like police injure someone, there's an investigation and the public is aware of it. A Richmond RCMP officer was recently investigated for hitting a pedestrian in a police cruiser, for example, which was reported by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

iNFOnews.ca has reached out to Community Services manager Tammy Blundell for comment on whether Sarai faced any discipline, but she did not respond in time for publication.

Sarai is the son of Bill Sarai, current Kamloops city councillor and candidate in the upcoming election. 

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