A family friend of local young man on life support is fundraising to fly his mother to Canada to see him.

“As a mother, not being able to be by my child would be devastating, especially if he wasn’t to pull through,” Kathleen Keen said.

Twenty-year-old Liston Van Vuuren was struck by a vehicle as he lay on the travelled section of Highway 5 near Englefeld around 10:45 p.m. Friday, according to police.

His mother, Nelmari Saayman, lives in South Africa and can’t afford the flight to see him, Keen said.

Keen is a friend of Van Vuuren’s father, Colin, who works at CIM in Humboldt.

Keen drove him to Royal University Hospital on Saturday morning after a nurse informed him Van Vuuren was in the intensive care unit.

There, they FaceTimed with Saayman, who was inconsolable, Keen said.

“She was pretty much how any mother would be if they knew their son was in critical condition. And the fact she is so far away makes it even harder.”

Van Vuuren has bleeding in the brain, which required the removal of part of his skull to allow the brain to swell. He also has a break in his right shoulder blade, and a fractured wrist and foot.

Keen’s GoFundMe page has raised more than $1,100, which she said is overwhelming.

“It’s great to see the community come together, try and help somebody, especially when they're in a situation where they can’t really help themselves.”

RCMP have not released further details of the incident, and Keen declined to comment on what happened to protect the investigation.