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Northern Ontario girl who survived car crash and machete attack that severed her hand is recovering in an Ottawa hospital while her attacker, believed to be her ex-boyfriend , awaits his next court appearance.

Ontario Provincial Police have not identified the victim or accused in the Nov. 3 incident in Cobalt, northeast of Sudbury, but have since said it was a case of domestic violence. according to CTV. The National Post has contacted the Ontario Provincial Police for comment.

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However, a GoFundMe launched by the family of victim Kaylie Smith, aged 16, and several media outlets name her alleged attacker as Philip Rivard-Gagnon, her former boyfriend of 18 years.

“He used his vehicle to pin her against some rocks so he could get out and mutilate her,” said Paige Smith, Kaylie’s cousin and creator of the fundraising effort. Postmedia Sudbury Stardetailing the details in its fundraising message.

“He was trying to cut off his head. Wounds – they guide you through them and they tell a story. She was fighting. She pushed him away after being hit by a car.

“He mutilated her”

The official statement from the Ontario Provincial Police, as reported by the Star, indicates that officers from the Témiscamingue detachment responded to a motor vehicle collision around 6 p.m. and arrived to find a 16-year-old young woman whose life was in danger following an “altercation”. with an 18-year-old man who then fled.

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Witnesses would have intervened to offer Kaylie rescued her before the first responders arrived and rushed her to the Témiscamingue hospital. She was quickly airlifted to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario to be treated for multiple serious injuries.

“He didn’t just hit her once or twice with a machete. He mutilated her,” Paige told the Star.

Despite the immense trauma, Paige said Kaylie remained awake after the attack and was able to communicate with those providing first aid.

“This little girl is so strong that she stayed conscious so she could tell people the name of her attacker, and so she could tell them what his name was and what happened to him,” Paige said.

Rivard-Gagnon was arrested later that evening when his mother reported him to the police, according to Paige. He was charged with attempted murder; aggravated assault; possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose; and breaching a suspended sentence order.

According to Radio-Canadathe latter charge is related to an assault on Smith’s stepfather in May, whose sentence – house arrest and other conditions – was imposed on October 29, just days before the alleged attack on Kaylie.

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Court documents quoted by CTV Rivard-Gagnon was not allowed to leave his home in Haileybury at the time of the incident except for “medical emergencies, to go to school, work, court, religious services, appointments you and the assessment, treatment or counseling sessions.

Ontario Provincial Police Community Liaison Officer Const. Martin Thibault, of Temiskaming Shores, told the Star that “the accused is an 18-year-old man and, therefore, is considered an adult in the Canadian justice system.”

Rivard-Gagnon, detained at the North Bay prison, appeared Tuesday by videoconference before the Superior Court of Justice in Temiskaming Shores. He remains in detention and his hearing is postponed until November 26. according to Postmedia’s Northern News this week.

None of the charges brought against him on November 3 have been proven in court.

“Such a strong child”

In Ottawa, Kaylie is surrounded by a small group of close family members to support her and her mother, Cindy, during what promises to be a long recovery.

“I thank God she’s alive and I sure hope there’s justice for this,” her mother said. Radio-Canada. “No one deserves to go through this.”

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Paige is part of the family at Kaylie’s bedside and has noticed her cousin’s will to live.

“Even the doctors here are impressed by his strength,” she said. “The fact that she’s already trying to move blows them away.” She struggles with sleep. She wants to be awake. She wants to talk.

Kaylie woke up Friday and was able to attend part of a candlelight vigil held for her in Cobalt this weekend. According to demonstrators in front of the courthouse where Rivard-Gagnon’s hearing was held on Tuesday, she speaks and is now able to communicate.

“I had the opportunity to speak to him for a few minutes on the phone and I was so impressed.” Carol Kennedy told sudbury.com. “She’s such a strong kid, man, she’s strong.”

Meanwhile, Paige’s fundraising effort has raised more than $103,000, closing in on her current goal of $110,000.

“Moving forward, the remainder of this GoFundMe will be reserved just for Kaylie,” Paige wrote in the most recent update. “With an uncertain future and no car insurance to compensate her, we want to make sure she (sic) is as settled and stable as possible. God knows if she will ever be able to return to a normal job or do things that she loves.

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