LYNNWOOD, Wash. — A Lynnwood family is reeling, as the search continues for the person responsible for hitting and killing their loved one, then driving off.
Now, nearly two weeks after the hit-and-run, the mother of the victim is speaking out about her daughter’s passing and the ticket the family received from Washington State Patrol (WSP) while she was on life support in the hospital.
Carol McKinnon told KING 5 that her daughter, Taylor Druliner, was walking across State Route 99 near 148th Street from the McDonald’s parking lot when a car hit her and she landed on the sidewalk.
"It makes me angry, they just left this person here and drove on,” McKinnon said. “Who does that?"
A tough realization as McKinnon fights to keep her daughter's legacy alive.
"Life moved on for somebody and hers completely stopped and ended pretty much right there,” McKinnon said. “I mean she never regained consciousness."
After the crash Druliner was sent to Harborview Medical Center and spent 11 days in ICU, unconscious on life support. Until McKinnon had to do what no parent should ever have to endure.
"That was the most heart-wrenching thing I've ever been through in my life,” McKinnon said. “We had about seven family members in the room, and we were all by her bed, holding her hand and letting her go."
As the search for a dark-colored sedan, which may have been a Toyota Corolla continues, McKinnon’s grief, turns into anger. The WSP issued the family a $68 ticket for jaywalking while Druliner was in the hospital.
"That has enraged me and her family beyond belief,” McKinnon said. “She got a ticket and the person that was responsible for her death, so far nothing. I'm not paying the ticket. No, I need to fight that."
McKinnon will do everything she can to find the person responsible, as she reflects on life moving forward.
"You never know when this is going to happen to you,” McKinnon said. “Tomorrow is never promised. The next hours not promised. So, make sure you love on everybody, so they know how much you love them."
McKinnon said her daughter was an organ donor. She said with Druliner's donation she'll help at least four people.
No arrests have been made at this point. The WSP shared a photo of the vehicle of interest. Troopers are asking for the public's help, especially from businesses near the crash site who may have surveillance video from that night of the car or the incident.
As far as the ticket, the WSP said it's been brought to a supervisor's attention and the agency is working on canceling it.