Image: GoFundMe

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Teenager recovering

Teenager, a newcomer to Canada, recovering after being struck, seriously injured by impaired driver

Jul 1, 2025 | 1:40 PM

SURREY — A 14-year-old boy from the Fraser Valley has been released from a B.C. hospital, roughly six days after he was struck and seriously injured by an impaired driver.

According to the text of a GoFundMe, Abdirahman M. moved to Canada from Somalia last year, finding safety and stability after escaping war. He was attending the B.C. Halal Food Festival on Sunday, June 22 and using a pedestrian crosswalk outside Holland Park in Surrey when he was struck by an impaired driver.

The GoFundMe says he suffered a concussion, brain injury, a fractured pelvis, and a broken hand. He’s also been dealing with confusion and trauma from the impact. Though he’s expected to recover, his healing journey will be long and painful. He’ll need ongoing physical therapy to regain use of his legs and hand.

“Because English isn’t his first language, family members have been helping translate and supporting him daily, often missing work to do so,” the GoFundMe said. “This has placed a heavy financial strain on a family still adjusting to life in Canada.”

The GoFundMe fundraiser will help cover costs for transportation, lost income, and Abdirahman’s rehabilitation, giving his family the ability to stay by his side without added financial stress.

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“Whether you’re able to donate, share, or offer a prayer, every bit of support helps. Thank you for standing with Abdirahman and our family during this time,” the GoFundMe stated.

A statement from Salaam Events, the organizer behind the B.C. Halal Food Festival, says Abdirahman M. was released from the hospital on Saturday, June 28 and is recovering well.

According to a statement from police, Surrey Police Service (SPS) said they investigated late-night hit-and-run collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian in Surrey’s City Centre neighbourhood that resulted in the pedestrian being taken to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Shortly after 10 p.m. on June 22, SPS Frontline officers were called to a report of a hit-and-run collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian at the intersection of Old Yale Road and Mall Access, between Holland Park and Central City Mall. Officers arrived to find that a 14-year-old boy had been struck by a vehicle that had fled the scene. The boy was transported to hospital by BCEHS with non-life-threatening injuries.

The vehicle was later found driving near 104 Avenue and Whalley Boulevard at approximately 2:15 am. The driver was arrested for both impaired driving and failing to remain at the scene of a collision.