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Two furs badly injured, four dogs killed in horrific 80MPH hit-and-run

Edited by GreenReaper as of Tue 21 Oct 2014 - 15:54
Your rating: None Average: 4.8 (12 votes)

Gemily, Hari, and their four beloved dogsJust after nightfall on Monday, July 16, Gemily West (Wolfgem) and her boyfriend Harison Long-Randall (Elden) were walking their four Australian Cattle dogs home from a visit to their local park in the Carmichael neighborhood of Sacremento, California, when they were struck by a drunk driver. Witnesses reported that the light-brown Nissan Maxima was driving with no lights on (including tail lights), when the accident occurred. Police could find no evidence of skidmarks or any other sign that the perpetrator attempted to slow down, and estimated that the driver was going around 80 miles per hour when he struck the victims and fled the scene.

As reported in the Sacramento Bee, 21-year-old Hari saw the car coming just a moment before it struck and threw himself in front of his girlfriend, Gemily. He took the force of the impact, which severed one of his legs just below the knee and left him with extensive internal damage as well as other broken bones. Gemily sustained a compound fracture in her lower right leg. All four of their beloved dogs, Zury, Winry, Evie and Bindie, were slain.

Update (29 July): Hari has now died of his injuries, two weeks after the crash

In the early hours of Thursday, July 19, the suspect was apprehended; in a cruel twist of irony he was pulled over by an officer that suspected him of driving while intoxicated. Paul William Walden, 31, of North Highlands, CA was driving the same vehicle that was seem by witnesses at the scene of the crime. He claims that he did not know that he had struck anyone, only that he saw only 'a man and a dog' and didn't believe he had hit them. He has been booked on two counts of felony hit and run, four counts of felony animal cruelty, misdemeanor driving under the influence and driving on a suspended driver's license. He is in the Sacramento County Jail in lieu of $135,000 bail.

There has been several donation funds set up to help the families of the victims, as well as a Facebook Group made in support and solidarity. The Sacramento Bee has posted this information for donations from the public:

Anyone wanting to contribute may send checks made out to the Harison Long-Randall/Gemily West Fund and send them to:
Pam Dinsmore
Community Affairs Director
The Sacramento Bee
2100 Q St.
Sacramento, CA 95816

If you have questions you should check this story or contact the Bee directly. If a direct deposit account becomes available it will be posted by someone in the family. Be careful where you send money as their are scammers ready to take advantage of a tragic situation. If you are unsure, verify the source before you send anything.

Read more: Further details of the accident (by Wolfgem's sister, Beastcub)

Update (21 Oct 2014): Belatedly reporting on more recent developments in this case, the trial of Paul William Walden began sometime prior to April 29, 2014. The trial included testimony by Gemily West and an expert witness on heroin addiction. Walden claimed he fell asleep at the wheel and discussed the timeline of events. After attorneys made closing arguments on May 12, and the following day it took the jury only four hours of deliberation to find Walden guilty of second degree murder. A month later, the judge sentenced Walden to 25 years to life, the maximum sentence allowable. Gemily West continues her slow recovery.

Comments

Your rating: None Average: 3.5 (6 votes)

Psychopaths aren't out to hurt people, they just don't even care. I'm glad they caught this one, and hope they give him many reasons to care now (10 or 20?)

Your rating: None Average: 5 (5 votes)

That's terrible. If you drink then don't drive. That's not a hard rule to follow.

I hope they recover without any further problems, they've gone through more than enough. Also much respect to Harrison, he is a hero for what he did.

"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind."
~John Stuart Mill~

Your rating: None Average: 1 (10 votes)

"Be careful where you send money as there are scammers ready to take advantage of a tragic situation."

PLS, MY NAME IS KAVI AND MY BROTHER DON'T HAZ NO LEGS ANYMOOR, SEND $$$$$!!!

Your rating: None Average: 4 (3 votes)

Hari has now died of his injuries, two weeks after the crash.

Your rating: None Average: 2 (2 votes)

If it was a hit-and-run, how could they possibly know that the driver was drunk...?

Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

See the linked articles. The police pulled him over soon afterwards for drink-driving and noticed the damage to his car.

Your rating: None Average: 4.7 (3 votes)

To make a long story short, he was caught driving drunk when he was apprehended a couple of days after the hit-and-run, and there is plenty of evidence to connect him with the hit-and-run that proved fatal for one of the victims, but they can't prove he was drunk at the time of the hit-and-run.

Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

There has been some trouble with the funds (the Facebook group in particular) that have been set up as to who the donations will actually benefit(per Beastcub and her brother who are managing the family's affairs in this matter). Furry End of the World Convention has been working directly with Wolfgem and her family to set up a fundraiser and will ensure the funds go directly to Wolfgem and not other parties. The last thing I want to do is be involved with any squabbles of this sort but furry donations and compassion should go to the intended party and not to others and really the only way you can be sure that it happens in this case is to either donate directly to Wolfgem herself or through the our fundraiser. We are also accepting donations of art and other furry items to auction off at the convention if you cannot afford to contribute monetarily.

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About the author

banrai (Andrea Brooks)read storiescontact (login required)

a freelance artist and Monster from Old Fort, NC, interested in art, music, literature, nail polish, perfume and betta fish

A late-20-something woman from Western North Carolina with plenty of opinions, and very willing to share them.