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B.C. driver charged after homeless woman struck and seriously injured while sleeping

A B.C. driver has been arrested and charged after a homeless woman was struck while sleeping in a back alley in Campbell River, B.C., last November, police say.

RCMP say driver was apprehended after incident in a Campbell River, B.C., back alley

Maryse Zeidler · CBC News ·
A smiling woman with long brown hair and a red tuque and a blue jacket.
Darlene Smith, 53, was run over by a driver last November and was sent to hospital in Vancouver with serious injuries. (Submitted by Samatha Billy)

A B.C. driver has been arrested and charged after a homeless woman was struck while sleeping in a back alley in Campbell River, B.C., last November, police say.

Amberlee Joan Herman, 38, has been charged with:

  • Two counts of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.
  • One count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
  • One count of assault with a weapon.
  • One count of uttering threats.

The incident happened at 12:30 a.m. on November 10, 2024, near Shopper's Row. At the time, police said the driver had been apprehended at the scene. 

Warrant for arrest

The B.C. Prosecution Service says the charges were laid on April 10. 

Earlier this month, the prosecution service and Const. Maury Tyre with the Campbell River RCMP said there was a warrant out for Herman's arrest. 

The prosecution service says the warrant was executed on May 20, and Herman was released on an undertaking that same day. 

Herman's next court appearance is June 16, 2025, in Campbell River.

Long recovery

CBC News has tried to contact the victim, 53-year-old Darlene Smith , through family but was unable to reach her. 

Smith's sister, Samantha Billy, said earlier this month that Smith was back living on the streets, following the incident. Billy previously told CBC News that Smith had faced a long, intense recovery after she was hit.

Initially treated at the ICU at Vancouver General Hospital, Billy said her sister sustained fractures to her spine, ribs and chest. She also had to be intubated to assist her breathing. 

A woman in a hospital bed with short hair and tubes coming out of her nose smiles as another woman wearing a blue hospital cap leans into the lens beside her.
Samantha Billy, right, says her sister Darlene Smith faced a long road to recovery. (Submitted by Samantha Billy)

She was later moved to the hospital in Nanaimo, Billy said over Facebook Messenger last December. 

There, Smith was starting to walk, and her memory was slowly coming back. 

"Her body still has a long way to go. She has a hard time sitting long and only walks a few steps," Billy said at the time.

"We are hopeful she is on her good healing journey and in good spirits."

Billy said her sister had been living in Campbell River for a few years, moving around different areas. She had been living in the tent with her son and daughter-in-law, who had stepped out just 15 minutes before the crash. 

Other people were also injured by the driver, Billy said, but RCMP spokesperson Const. Maury Tyre said he wasn't able to confirm that.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maryse Zeidler

@MaryseZeidler

Maryse Zeidler is a reporter for CBC News on Vancouver Island. You can reach her at maryse.zeidler@cbc.ca.

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