There was a guardian angel on the nurse's way out of the ambulance

“Everyone tells me I had a guardian angel that night,” she smiled softly.

It was a stormy evening when the Demers Ambulance team received the mandate to transport a pregnant woman in preterm labor from Haut-Richelieu Hospital to Fleurimont Hospital in Sherbrooke, a distance of 140 km.

Clinical nurse Kathryn Roy, who specializes in birth control and pediatrics, flew in to support the patient.

A 23-year-old man was thrown from an ambulance after a horrific collision with a rock wall.

She was found in the ditch, unconscious, with her head in the water. Under the force of the attack, the back door of the ambulance was torn off and pinned to the ground.

On arrival at Fleurimont Hospital in Sherbrooke he was in a critical condition. His injuries were as serious as most.

A humerus fracture in his left arm required immediate surgery.

He was then prepared for brain surgery. She may also need surgery on her neck and collarbone…but her condition is so unstable and her internal organs are in such bad shape that doctors are not sure she will survive the surgery. They feared the worst. His family too.

The young nurse was placed in an artificial coma for five days, giving her a chance to recover.

But Kathryn Roy didn't say her last word.

After a miracle, she won the trials.

His fractures healed spontaneously without surgery.

Against all odds, a month after the accident, the nurse returned home in time for Christmas.

Today, she walks, talks, works and is recovering her memory. Due to the vertigo caused by her disordered vestibular system, she can do everything but wash her hair and drive a car by herself.

She still has significant after effects. Specifically, she must wear a cervical collar at all times for “at least five or six weeks.”

He will continue to rehab for several months, he said in an interview, and dreams of “putting it all away at his party next spring.” She is already looking forward to returning to her work during maternity leave at Haut-Richelieu Hospital.

Today, he does physiotherapy. The rest is a kinesiologist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a neuropsychologist … “It goes on for months,” he says.

But she is optimistic, happy to be alive and determined to break barriers. As before the accident, that is.

Acceptance as a gift

Her strength, Kathryn Roy, finds little in the acceptance of what has happened to her, in the recognition of still being alive. She has no time to waste getting angry with anyone or anything.

“Before leaving the hospital in Sherbrooke, I was able to see the patient in the ambulance with her partner and baby. It was great to see them. It was a relief to see that they were OK and that they were recovering from the accident.

— Nurse Kathryn Roy

To close the loop, she wanted to revisit the paramedics who had changed the course of their lives that evening on Highway 10.

“For me, it's important to see how the paramedics are doing and tell them that I don't blame them. It's an accident, it happens, that's it. I asked one of the two paramedics to take time off to treat her injuries, but she has to continue with this beautiful profession. I believe that.

— Kathryn Roy

She insists on thanking everyone who helped her: passers-by who helped in the moments following the accident on the highway, paramedics and first responders, her loved ones, and then the teams of the Fleurimont Hospital of the CIUSSS de l'. Estrie-CHUS “gave me wonderful care”.

Icy Road Thesis

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) have concluded their investigation into the matter. The accident was caused by road conditions and not by negligence or dangerous behaviour.

An SQ accident reconstructionist visited the scene on November 19 to examine the crash site.

104.5 km of Highway 10 is centrally located “The most dangerous stretch of road in Estrey” Almost 1000 accidents have happened in 10 years. The “Eastman microclimate” makes road conditions in this sector easily hazardous, although it is considered a “high priority” for the Quebec Ministry of Transport.

“There will be no criminal report or prosecution in this case,” underlines Sûreté du Québec spokesman Louis-Philippe Ruel.

The nurse admits that she was not tied to the back of the ambulance because she was caring for the patient. In many accidents in the past, medical personnel standing at the back were hit and injured.

There are no legal provisions requiring paramedics to be seated and restrained during transport.

“I train the medical personnel who have to accompany patients in ambulances, and I emphasize the importance of being connected every time,” explained Dr. Jean-Sébastien Tremblay-Roy, Director and Head of the Department of Pediatrics at the CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS and the University of Sherbrooke.

A controllable measure, he stressed, “but very important.”

The Sûreté du Québec transferred the file to the CNESST, which, after analyzing and gathering information, decided not to go any further.

The ambulance was fitted with winter tires at the time of the accident.

In an interview with Les Coops de l'information, Daniel Lefebvre, director of the Eastman Fire Department, confirmed that the road was slippery when he and his crew went there to help the ambulance passengers.