Motorist charged year after woman’s death, daughter seeks answers

The family of a woman struck and killed on the Harry Lazerenko Bridge last August continue to seek answers, despite police arresting and charging a motorist in connection with her death.

“What happened beforehand, before her getting hit?” said Britney Porter, whose mother, Doris Porter, died in the Aug. 10, 2024, collision.

Police were sent to the bridge at about 1:45 a.m. that morning and found the 49-year-old grandmother critically injured.

Investigators determined the woman was lying on the road when she was hit by a driver headed west. The motorist stayed at the scene and spoke with officers, police said.

On Friday, just over one year after the incident, police announced they had charged a 28-year-old woman with careless driving causing death.

She was arrested Monday and released on an appearance notice. Police did not name the woman and were unavailable to provide further information Friday.

Porter said she knows little about what the police investigation uncovered.

Footage obtained by police and viewed by Porter’s sisters showed the moment Doris was struck by the vehicle, Porter said, but she still questions how her mother was lying on the ground in the first place.

Some of Doris’ belongings, including articles of clothing, were strewn on the roadway on the opposite end of the bridge from where she was found injured, Porter said.

Porter said she has asked officials to provide the results of a toxicology report that determined if her mother was impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of her death. That request has been denied, she said.

“She never had a problem with walking, so I really just think something happened beforehand,” Porter said through tears. “She needed help, she really needed help and I think her body just gave up on her.”

Porter is meeting by phone with a representative from the Crown on Tuesday to go over the case. She hopes some of her questions are answered, she said.

She continues to grieve the loss of her mother, whom she described as a “loving person.”

“She cared and she was always there for everyone,” Porter said. “She loved her grandkids a lot and that was one of her big things that were keeping her going in life. They made her so happy.”

Doris, who had 13 grandchildren, was living with Porter when she died, she said.

Protesters gathered on the bridge last August and held a vigil for Doris. They called for a full investigation into her death.

Family members held a prayer and offered tobacco to the water before painting a red dress symbol with the words “Justice for Doris” across both lanes of the bridge.

“It really meant a lot to us. Me personally, I didn’t know how much support we actually had out there until that day when I saw everyone come together for my mom,” Porter said Friday.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca