Krista Clark and her boyfriend were ice fishing on Peckham’s Lake on Saturday when they both heard a loud bang coming from the Wardner-Fort Steele Road.
“It sounded like something exploded on the highway and was followed by blood-curdling screams,” Clark said.
The two, who were fishing near the highway side of the lake, dropped their fishing rods and ran through the trees to the road.
A semi truck and a small SUV-type vehicle had collided on the straight stretch between Peckham’s Lake and the entrance to Norbury Lake park, Clark said.
Oncoming traffic had already stopped in both directions, but Clark and her boyfriend rushed to the two vehicles.
Clark yelled for a fire extinguisher and went over to the smaller SUV, which had a young teenager pinned on the passenger side. The driver appeared uninjured and was walking around, while the driver of the semi truck was also uninjured.
Clark began talking to the young man, who was semi conscious but responsive.
“He was pretty scared,” said Clark, who stayed with him until emergency responders arrived.
Bystanders also arrived with some first aid supplies and blankets, which they used to cover the young man and keep him warm while waiting for the ambulance.
Police, ambulance and Search and Rescue soon arrived and used the Jaws of Life to extract him and take him to the hospital.
He was later transferred to the Vancouver Children’s Hospital where he underwent surgery and is currently in recovery.
A GoFundMe fundraiser page has been created to help cover medical costs and family living expenses. According to the page, the young teen broke his upper right arm, right femur, right ankle, left foot, cheek bone and punctured a lung. His brother, the driver, while appearing uninjured at the accident scene according to Clark, suffered a cracked wrist.
The update says that he is in a lot of pain, yet in good spirits.