Man in critical condition after being pinned by race car unaware he's now a father
'He's always wanted kids,' says sister, eager for Jonathan Sedman to awaken and meet newborn son
Jonathan Sedman, 41, became a first-time father on Sunday, but the seriously injured Surrey man doesn't know it.
Sedman is in critical condition at Vancouver General Hospital where he's been heavily sedated ever since a devastating accident on Saturday at a Vancouver Island racetrack.
Sedman's sister says he was setting up fireworks at the Saratoga Speedway in Black Creek north of Comox B.C., during one of the last races of the night, when a driver lost control of his race car and flipped over a barricade.
The car hit Sedman and pinned him underneath.
"It happened pretty fast. We think he was maybe crouched down when it happened," said Jennifer Sedman.
Paul Hargrave, the owner and operator of the track calls the incident a "freak accident," and says Sedman was in the "wrong place at the wrong time."
Sedman said rescuers rushed to free the trapped man and were able to quickly lift the race car which is lighter than a normal vehicle.
But the force of the impact shattered her brother's pelvis, broke his hip, ruptured his bladder, cracked his ribs and caused his brain to bleed.
Perilous rescue
First responders were forced to work on Sedman between the unlit fireworks and the damaged race car which by then was suspended from a tow truck, according to fire officials.
"That car hanging up was a safety concern for us. It was secure but not as secure as we would like it ... also being that close to the fireworks [was also an issue], as some of them were damaged," said Oyster River Fire Chief Bruce Green.
Despite the pain and chaos, Sedman said she was told that her brother urged people to light his fireworks display.
"He was talking. He was saying that his legs were numb. He was saying things like, 'just fire the fireworks show! I'm fine!'"
An ambulance took the injured man to Courtenay, and he was later transferred to Vancouver by plane.
Premature birth
Sedman said she and her brother's partner, Christa Meissner, rushed to Vancouver to meet the injured man's flight.
That's when his partner's contractions started.
Meissner went into labour and their baby was born Sunday, Sept. 30. The premature boy — who was officially due Oct. 30 — was transferred to Langley hospital.
Sedman says there the newborn got some special care and is now thriving, but so far he has no official name and his father has no idea he arrived early.
Jonathan Sedman remains heavily sedated. Vancouver doctors have been unable to awaken him for too long, given the severity and pain of his injuries.
"There's been a couple of times where they'll lessen the sedation, and he'll open his eyes. But then he gets agitated or in pain and his heart rate rockets, so they have to put him back under," said his sister.
She can't wait for her injured brother to learn that he's a father.
"He always wanted to have kids," she said.
Fundraising efforts
Sedman and his father are the owners of Celebration Fireworks. They prepare pyrotechnic displays for myriad events including B.C. Lions shows and the Abbotsford Air Show.
Sedman said the company has prepared more than 50 displays for Saratoga Speedway since 2002. Friends have started a fundraising campaign to help the couple recover from their ordeal and hopefully soon enjoy parenthood.
The speedway is also hosting a fundraising event on Oct. 20 with all proceeds going to Sedman and his family. Hargrave says the Penticton Speedway has already donated $1,000.
The racetrack says it will change the location of where fireworks are set up, and has been working with WorkSafeBC to incorporate other changes.
Hargrave says the incident was the first of its kind since he began running the facility.
"In all 38 years of running this speedway that was unbelievably fluke, it was just a whole bunch of circumstances that came together at the same time," he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
