'Beautiful, caring' mother told she won’t walk again

53-year-old Vania Tong suffered a serious spinal injury after being struck by a car on the A547 in Meliden near Prestatyn on June 19.

Emergency services, including fire and ambulance crews, were called to Ffordd Talargoch in Meliden at around 6pm that evening, and were joined by the Wales Air Ambulance which airlifted Mrs Tong to the Royal Stoke University Hospital for specialist treatment.

Doctors then delivered the devastating news that Vania had suffered severe damage to her spinal cord, which means she is unlikely to ever walk again.

The police presence following the incident in Meliden. Photo: Gerry Frobisher

On the fundraising page, Vania's daughter Agnes said her "beautiful, caring mum" was on the way back from their local shop when she was hit.

Mrs Tong, a teacher at Prestatyn High School, is believed to have been crossing the road at the time of the collision, and remains under specialist care at the Stoke hospital.

With Mrs Tong requiring surgery on her spine, she is expected to remain in Stoke for six to ten weeks, but due to Covid restrictions her family will only be able to visit her for an hour a day, so are forced to travel back and forth to the hospital from North Wales.

A fundraising page has been set up to help the family cover travel and accommodation costs during Vania's recovery, on which the family had set an initial target of £1,000.

The public have come together to surpass all expectations, with the page already raising more than £7,000.

The fundraiser page added: "We are kindly asking for any donations, however small, to help us cover the costs of travel and accommodation so we can be at Vania’s side as much as possible."

Police have urged anyone who witnessed the incident to get in touch by calling 101 or via their website, quoting reference B088996.

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