A Surrey, B.C. man is lucky to be alive after a racecar lost control and ended up on top of him during an event on Vancouver Island last weekend.
Jonathan Sedman had just finished setting up a post-race pyrotechnic display the Saratoga Speedway north of Courtenay Saturday night. Video from the race captured the gut-wrenching moment when one of the cars flipped over a guardrail and landed on top of him.
His sister, Jennifer, said the 41-year-old fireworks installer is seriously hurt.
"He has five broken ribs on his left side. He shattered his pelvis. He broke his left arm. He ruptured his bladder," she told CTV News.
Jonathan has been heavily sedated in hospital since the accident and has no clue he missed one of the most important moments of his life: the birth of his first child.
When his wife, Christa, arrived at the Vancouver General Hospital to see her injured husband, she went into labour a month early.
"I was there for the birth. It was great to see and also it was heartbreaking, you know? He's missing that moment and I know that's been really hard on my family," Jennifer said.
Doctors are hopeful Jonathan will make a full recovery, but it will be a long road.
"I think there's going to be a lot of expenses in terms of mobility stuff and rehabilitation," Jennifer said.
A friend has set up a GoFundMe page on his behalf. As of Friday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $15,000.
"It's been absolutely shocking to see it grow," Jennifer said.
Jonathan's little boy is growing too. His wife is waiting until her husband wakes up so they can choose their son's name together.
With files from CTV Vancouver Shannon Paterson
