Elyria police still looking into pedestrian's death in West River Road South crash

The investigation into a fatal traffic crash Saturday night in Elyria that killed a mother of four is continuing, an Elyria police spokesman said Wednesday. Tiffany Kunc, 34, died after being hit by a maroon Ford Escape. She was walking in the 6700 block of West River Road South about 7:30 p.m. when she was hit. A resident found her unresponsive in the snow near the tree lawn. Kunc was pronounced dead at the scene. Surveillance video showed she had been hit by a car. Officers found a maroon Ford Escape and its driver in Lorain. The SUV was impounded as evidence. Elyria police said the driver admitted driving in the area at the time of the crash and told them he thought he hit a deer. He has not been charged with any crimes, Elyria police Capt. Bill Lantz said. "The case remains under active investigation, and while I do anticipate criminal charges, I do not expect any to be filed in the immediate future," Lantz wrote in an email. The case will be presented to the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office for review once the investigation is complete, and prosecutors will determine the appropriate charges, according to Lantz. Police said alcohol and drugs are not believed to have been involved. "Our goal is to ensure a thorough and comprehensive investigation rather than a rushed one," he wrote. "We want to get it right, for the sake of the victim, her family, and the integrity of the process." Kunc was the mother of four children, ages 11 to 15. A GoFundMe campaign titled "Support for Tiffany Kunc's Children" had raised $1,800 as of 7 p.m. Wednesday. Organizer Wanda Brooks wrote that she started the GoFundMe with the permission of Kunc's family. She found Kunc after the crash and wrote that that experience "was deeply disturbing and heartbreaking." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com