The family of a man killed in a hit-and-run more than five years ago continues to mourn privately following a guilty verdict in connection to his death north of Barrie.
Newmarket resident Maimuna Baldeh, who was charged in the 2018 death of Dominik Adamek in Springwater Township, was found guilty last week following a trial at the Barrie courthouse.
Adamek was killed in the early morning hours of May 5, 2018, after he was struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Wilson and Carson roads.
The 27-year-old, who provincial police say was walking on the shoulder of the road at the time of the collision, was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time, police said he had been hit by a northbound vehicle.
Investigators later announced it was a dark grey Toyota Corolla, made between 2011 and 2013, and would have significant damage to the passenger-side headlight, passenger-side front bumper and passenger-side door and window.
Baldeh, the driver of the lone vehicle involved in the crash, fled the scene. The 30-year-old woman was arrested and charged Jan. 30, 2019.
On Nov. 3, Baldeh was found guilty of failing to stop at an accident causing death.
She was released after the verdict was announced.
Baldeh is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 31, 2024.
The Adamek family declined to comment on the verdict, telling BarrieToday, “It’s like reopening an old wound.”
Dominik went to university at Ryerson, where he received a bachelor of commerce degree.
After graduation, he landed a job at RBC in Toronto. He worked his way up the ladder and became an e-sourcing manager in downtown Toronto.
In the fall of 2017, he moved back to Springwater Township to join the family business building custom homes.
Dominik was also a musician. He had finished recording an EP with his band, Tails, You Lose, just prior to his death.
On May 24, 2018, in the days following his death and before an arrest had been made in the case, the Adamek family spoke to BarrieToday. They made a public plea, asking the driver, who was still unknown at that time, to turn herself in.
“Come forward. How can you sleep at night, knowing you killed someone? Confess. It doesn’t make sense for you to get away and be free. You should serve time. Accept the punishment. You’ve done wrong; you should be punished,” said Dominik’s father, Andrew.
“Dominik was our Christmas baby. He was born Dec. 22. We’re never going to have Christmas again,” he added at the time, his voice breaking. “On Mother’s Day, we had his funeral.”
“That will be an impact on our lives forever. Our lives will never be the same,” added Kristian, Dominik’s brother.
Dominik was born in North Bay and moved with his parents to the Barrie area. It was here that he attended The Good Shepherd Elementary School and St. Joseph’s Catholic High School.
In May 2018, Dominek's family said they wanted people to know who he was.
“We wanted to talk about the kind of person my brother was ... how much positivity and good he brought into other people’s lives," said Kristian. "He had a bright attitude, always smiling and laughing. He shared that with anyone and everyone around him.
"His friends said his laugh was contagious. He started laughing and it wouldn’t even be that funny, but everyone would just start laughing, too. He made everyone smile and live a brighter life."
