Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, November 28, 2007

BAKER LAKE - A Baker Lake man continues to fight for his life in the intensive care unit at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre following a hit-and-run accident in Baker this past weekend.

Josie Attutuva, 38, was walking along the side of the road with his wife, Mary, and their nephew, Thomas Narkyagik, shortly after midnight on Nov. 24 when the three were struck by a truck.

Attutuva took the brunt of the collision, ending up about 40 feet from the point of impact and receiving severe head trauma and neck injuries.

The two people walking with him both received non-life-threatening injuries in the accident, Mary suffered multiple lacerations and a broken collarbone.

They were treated at the Baker Lake Health Centre and released.

Attutuva was on life support and listed in critical condition this past Sunday, Nov. 25, but Cpl. Cam Lockwood of the Baker Lake RCMP said the man did show signs of improvement this past Monday.

"We received a call from a family member on Monday, and that family member informed us that he (Attutuva) was breathing on his own and responding to commands," said Lockwood.

Police located the vehicle suspected of being involved in the accident and arrested Baker resident Kenny Avaala, 26, in connection to the incident. Avaala has been charged with three counts of impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, and one count of leaving the scene of an accident.

He was placed in custody at the Baffin Correctional Centre in Iqaluit.

As of press time, no date had been released for Avaala's first Nunavut court appearance.