Humboldt Broncos Involved in Bus Crash

[-DLC-]

2 hours ago, Down by the River said:

I was driving from Saskatoon to Prince Albert a few weeks ago and cannot image how some of these individuals stay alert driving their truck for a full shift. Changes definitely need to happen to keep people safe. But, why do we need a longer sentence to make those changes? Whether Sidhu received one, eight, or twenty-five years should not dictate whether important changes are/are not made in the trucking industry. 

 

The challenge I have, and I would be fully willing to change my opinion if I knew more about the perspectives of the victims and their families, is that I don't think any amount of punishment would ensure that Sidhu would not repeat the same act in the future. He seems extremely remorseful, faces deportation, and understands how serious his actions/inactions were. I don't think he needs to be put in prison to prevent him from committing this offense or similar offenses again. So, I just don't understand the value of punishing him. However, if the victims wanted some form of justice, and felt that a prison sentence would do it, then I would be a bit more understanding of the rationale of placing this person in jail. 

 

I'm conflicted in this, however, a sentence HAD to also set a precedent for others, too.  It's not just about this guy and he brought that upon himself by doing something that impacted so many.   We need deterrents and sure, he's remorseful/sorry/facing some tough times ahead but that's after the fact.  Fact is, his actions were irresponsible/borderline negligent.  There were several warnings of the upcoming stop sign that he ignored/missed.  Then barreled through.  

 

The fact that a flapping tarp excuse/reason was thrown out?  So you stop and secure it - it's your responsibility to be fully focused and if there was a distraction, to slow down during it.  If he'd done that, he likely would have avoided this horrible tragedy.  Using that to somehow justify why he didn't see the signs?  It makes it worse for me, not better.  Because it wasn't just a matter of zoning out...he was focusing on something other than driving and his speed in a big rig did not reflect that.

 

I feel like it was a fair sentence - so many lives lost, it just was a tragic outcome that could/should have been prevented.

[JM_]

3 hours ago, redhdlois said:

Driving is not safe anymore.........people taking liberties constantly as well as inexperience.  Glad you are ok.

I've become a paranoid driver as I don't trust other drivers.

I try to anticipate stupid things happening on the road around me, I tend to be proven right a lot. You have to drive very defensively now, thats for sure.

[JM_]

3 hours ago, Down by the River said:

I was driving from Saskatoon to Prince Albert a few weeks ago and cannot image how some of these individuals stay alert driving their truck for a full shift. Changes definitely need to happen to keep people safe. But, why do we need a longer sentence to make those changes? Whether Sidhu received one, eight, or twenty-five years should not dictate whether important changes are/are not made in the trucking industry. 

 

The challenge I have, and I would be fully willing to change my opinion if I knew more about the perspectives of the victims and their families, is that I don't think any amount of punishment would ensure that Sidhu would not repeat the same act in the future. He seems extremely remorseful, faces deportation, and understands how serious his actions/inactions were. I don't think he needs to be put in prison to prevent him from committing this offense or similar offenses again. So, I just don't understand the value of punishing him. However, if the victims wanted some form of justice, and felt that a prison sentence would do it, then I would be a bit more understanding of the rationale of placing this person in jail. 

 

sentencing is really all we have in the system to create a deterrent unfortunately. Of course no amount of time makes any family member feel remotely better. 

 

I firmly belive tho that the company needs to be sued into oblivion on this too for the poor training this driver got. I realize there are innocent people working at that company but until people at the ownership level feel the pain of jail time and/or losing their companies I just don't see the needed changes being made for road safety. 

 

 

[Down by the River]

1 minute ago, Jimmy McGill said:

sentencing is really all we have in the system to create a deterrent unfortunately. Of course no amount of time makes any family member feel remotely better. 

 

I firmly belive tho that the company needs to be sued into oblivion on this too for the poor training this driver got. I realize there are innocent people working at that company but until people at the ownership level feel the pain of jail time and/or losing their companies I just don't see the needed changes being made for road safety. 

 

 

The thing is, there are literally hundreds of studies from around the world that illustrate the menial impact of deterrence. For example, there is no evidence that adding the death penalty decreases the homicide rate; nor is there evidence that removing the death penalty increases the homicide rate. If the death penalty is not a deterrent than what is?

[Gurn]

36 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I firmly belive tho that the company needs to be sued into oblivion on this too for the poor training this driver got.

That company was disbanded and a new one started mere days later by the same owner, iirc.

The owner/manager/board of directors if there was one, needs to feel the pain. The company is just a bunch of paperwork filed in some cabinets.

[JM_]

27 minutes ago, Down by the River said:

The thing is, there are literally hundreds of studies from around the world that illustrate the menial impact of deterrence. For example, there is no evidence that adding the death penalty decreases the homicide rate; nor is there evidence that removing the death penalty increases the homicide rate. If the death penalty is not a deterrent than what is?

in this case tho we're talking about going after companies and drivers. If owners are put in jail for lack of training, trust me, there will be more training. 

[Gurn]

I remember watching Danny DeVito and Jack Nicholson in the movie "Hoffa" and cringed when  Jack pointed out the burns on DeVito's hand between his thumb  and first finger. The driver had deliberately burned himself with a smoke to stay awake.

 Things are better than that now, but more improvement is needed.

[-DLC-]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ryan-straschnitzki-ryan-humboldt-broncos-thailand-airdrie-1.5350117?fbclid=IwAR2GvwCyOvTE8ggf3NlfXHYCexbUXOG4iJJditfXFHhgPZ38luUv3zw6K14

 

Quote

Paralyzed Humboldt Broncos player moves legs after experimental surgery in Thailand

 

'It just blows me away,' says mother. 'It made me just bawl'

Joel Dryden · CBC News · Posted: Nov 06, 2019 11:51 AM MT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

 

Ryan Straschnitzki was one of 13 players injured when a truck driver blew through a stop sign and into the path of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team's bus in Saskatchewan. Sixteen others died. (Twitter)

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A hockey player from Alberta who was paralyzed in last year's Humboldt Broncos bus crash has begun moving his legs after receiving experimental spinal surgery in Thailand — nearly kicking his therapist and asking if he could hit the gym.

Ryan Straschnitzki, a 20-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., was one of 13 junior hockey team players injured when a truck driver blew through a stop sign and collided with the Saskatchewan team's bus, killing 16 others in April 2018.

 

Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down. 

On Monday, doctors in Thailand implanted an epidural stimulator in Straschnitzki's spine in the hope that it could restore some movement in his legs.

With the use of a small device like a remote control, the implant sends electrical currents to the spinal cord to stimulate nerves and move his limbs, bypassing traditional pathways.

The implant can be programmed to stimulate certain nerves mapped out by surgeons and therapists.

In a video shared by his family on Twitter on Wednesday, Straschnitzki is seen lying on his back while doctors help him through the rehabilitation process after the surgery.

Watch Ryan Straschnitzki move his legs in this video posted by his family:

 

"One time, [Ryan] almost kicked the therapist — oops," said the posting on Straschnitzki's Twitter feed, shared by a member of his family.

"Therapist is only holding his leg. Ryan is moving it. Then Ryan asks if he can go work out at the mall gym after. The stunned therapist said NO. You just had surgery. Seriously, son. Ha ha."

Straschnitzki is expected to remain in Thailand until December.

For Straschnitzki's mother Michelle, seeing her son smile in the video was overwhelming.

"It made me just bawl," she said.

"He was as surprised as the rest of us, I think. It just blows me away," she said, speaking from Calgary on Wednesday. "It's all blowing me away, just his determination and stick-to-it-iveness. It shouldn't be surprising anymore, but it really does knock the wind out of me."

The developments were more than the family was expecting at this stage, Michelle said.

 

Michelle Straschnitzki, Ryan's mother, wiped away tears Wednesday, saying that the developments proved 'you can't give up faith.' (Carolyn Dunn/CBC)

"But I never thought anything else was going to happen. We always believed, and I think that's the motto of the whole group," she said. "I think it hasn't really changed my perspective, but this is proof that you can't give up faith."

Straschnitzki was inspired to try the procedure by Dr. Richi Gill, a Calgary surgeon who had the operation last year after he was paralyzed in an accident.

Only a half-dozen people in Canada have had it done, and only about 30 worldwide.

 

Straschnitzki had an epidural stimulator implanted into his spine in experimental surgery in Thailand. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

The surgery can cost up to $100,000 and isn't covered by healthcare or insurance. It is also performed in countries such as the United States and Switzerland, but it's much cheaper in Thailand.

"It should have happened yesterday, in my opinion. But I think it's a good start," Michelle said. "Like everything else we've undertaken in these last 19 months, there are things that should have been in place long before this. 

"But if we can help other people in getting this medical technology and breakthroughs to come to Canada and other parts of the world that are closer, that's the best we can hope for at the moment."

'Extremely positive'

Dr. Aaron Phillips, a professor at the University of Calgary, said the developments were positive, and a very common starting point when people with spinal cord injuries first have their devices implanted.

"Where he can go from here with optimization, further follow-up and tuning of his parameters will be important," Phillips said. "He can probably get to a higher ceiling than what you're seeing now, and even far higher."

When the stimulator was turned on, dormant pathways in Straschnitzki's spinal cord were reawakened, Phillips said. Through a period of months and tuning of the device, he is likely to see more improvement.

"He'll be able to start moving limbs below his injury site better and better and better. Where his ceiling will get, we don't know," Phillips said. "It's not typically a therapy that will [lead to] walking again, but they will have improved motor function in almost all cases.

 

Dr. Aaron Phillips with the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary called the development 'extremely positive.' (Carolyn Dunn/CBC)

"This will extend not only to motor function, but to other unconscious functions — bladder, bowel, sexual, cardiovascular function — they can all improve with this therapy as well."

Such functions improving would massively increase Straschnitzki's quality of life, and is a big priority for doctors working on this therapy, Phillips said.

"I think the worst-case [scenario] is that he maintains this obvious restoration of some movement below his limbs that you're seeing today," he said. "The best case scenario is that he'll have some significant recovery in functional movements that will last for the rest of his life."

Straschnitzki has said he wants to make Canada's Paralympics team and compete for Canada's national sledge hockey team.

Prior to his surgery Monday, his family shared another post on Twitter.

"Before he went in, he texted a guy out here about ice time for [Wednesday]," the post said. "Ha ha. What a kid."

With files from Carolyn Dunn and The Canadian Press

 

[Alflives]

1 hour ago, debluvscanucks said:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ryan-straschnitzki-ryan-humboldt-broncos-thailand-airdrie-1.5350117?fbclid=IwAR2GvwCyOvTE8ggf3NlfXHYCexbUXOG4iJJditfXFHhgPZ38luUv3zw6K14

 

 

This is beautiful.  Our health care should pay for this.  100,000 dollars out of pocket is crazy or a patient to pay for something that is clearly life altering.   So glad the mom speaks for her son and all the other people in Canada who deserve this kind of care.  

[JM_]

10 hours ago, Alflives said:

This is beautiful.  Our health care should pay for this.  100,000 dollars out of pocket is crazy or a patient to pay for something that is clearly life altering.   So glad the mom speaks for her son and all the other people in Canada who deserve this kind of care.  

it is. Regaining even a little bit of mobility has huge health benefits so I could see some kind of trial starting here sooner than later in part due to the attention this story will get here at home. Its still very experimental, just 30 people world wide so far but if they're really onto something thats amazing. 

 

Theres some great research going on here in Vancouver, if this treatment stars being tested in Canada my bet is its through these guys and funded by Rick Hansen: https://icord.org/research/participate-in-a-study/

Edited November 7, 2019 by Jimmy McGill

[-DLC-]

13 hours ago, Alflives said:

This is beautiful.  Our health care should pay for this.  100,000 dollars out of pocket is crazy or a patient to pay for something that is clearly life altering.   So glad the mom speaks for her son and all the other people in Canada who deserve this kind of care.  

I felt that way too (it should be covered).  

 

Or the trucking company and driver should be assessed the bills?

[chon derry]

23 minutes ago, debluvscanucks said:

I felt that way too (it should be covered).  

 

Or the trucking company and driver should be assessed the bills?

good luck with that ….neither one of those can even pay attention.

[RonMexico]

 

14 hours ago, Alflives said:

This is beautiful.  Our health care should pay for this.  100,000 dollars out of pocket is crazy or a patient to pay for something that is clearly life altering.   So glad the mom speaks for her son and all the other people in Canada who deserve this kind of care.  

No way should our health care system pay for experimental medical procedures performed in other countries - successful or not.

 

I get it, this story tugged at many people's heartstrings but by our health care system paying for it, it opens up to paying for all sorts of quackery performed in other countries. You can't discriminate against one procedure over another. Our health care system can simply not afford to fund these procedures that have possible unknown outcomes. The red tape would be staggering deciding which procedures would be covered and the incurred liability if something goes wrong.

[Alflives]

30 minutes ago, RonMexico said:

 

No way should our health care system pay for experimental medical procedures performed in other countries - successful or not.

 

I get it, this story tugged at many people's heartstrings but by our health care system paying for it, it opens up to paying for all sorts of quackery performed in other countries. You can't discriminate against one procedure over another. Our health care system can simply not afford to fund these procedures that have possible unknown outcomes. The red tape would be staggering deciding which procedures would be covered and the incurred liability if something goes wrong.

How about we get a choice to be part of the public system, and not pay the tax, and get to choose a private healthcare provider?

[JM_]

19 minutes ago, Alflives said:

How about we get a choice to be part of the public system, and not pay the tax, and get to choose a private healthcare provider?

thats sort of what France has but you still have to pay tax. Everyone pays for public but they allow rich people to go pay much more from private if they want to. 

[JM_]

54 minutes ago, RonMexico said:

 

No way should our health care system pay for experimental medical procedures performed in other countries - successful or not.

 

I get it, this story tugged at many people's heartstrings but by our health care system paying for it, it opens up to paying for all sorts of quackery performed in other countries. You can't discriminate against one procedure over another. Our health care system can simply not afford to fund these procedures that have possible unknown outcomes. The red tape would be staggering deciding which procedures would be covered and the incurred liability if something goes wrong.

our system does pay for things like this. Groups like the Rick Hansen Institute or Michael Smith Foundation get grants and they fund clinical trials. 

 

But sometimes it doesn't turn out the way people hoped, like the surgical MS treatments everyone wanted a few years ago that turned out to be ineffective. 

[higgyfan]

On 11/7/2019 at 12:02 PM, Alflives said:

How about we get a choice to be part of the public system, and not pay the tax, and get to choose a private healthcare provider?

I'm thinking the ++million $ go fund me project probably paid for everything.

 

Private Healthcare is for the rich and skims off the best professionals from the public healthcare.  It's all or nothing.

 

Medical care in the US is very expensive.  Friends of mine had a baby (20 years ago) in the US and it cost $9000. 

 

Another friend has been dealing with cancer treatment for a couple of years and she's in dept for +$50,000 and she has insurance through her work.

 

If you don't have private health insurance you're screwed.  Off to the horrible public centres/hospitals you go!  From what I've heard, Obamacare onlycovers very basic care.  

[Alflives]

2 hours ago, higgyfan said:

I'm thinking the ++million $ go fund me project probably paid for everything.

 

Private Healthcare is for the rich and skims off the best professionals from the public healthcare.  It's all or nothing.

 

Medical care in the US is very expensive.  Friends of mine had a baby (20 years ago) in the US and it cost $9000. 

 

Another friend has been dealing with cancer treatment for a couple of years and she's in dept for +$50,000 and she has insurance through her work.

 

If you don't have private health insurance you're screwed.  Off to the horrible public centres/hospitals you go!  From what I've heard, Obamacare onlycovers very basic care.  

At least they have the private care choice.  For us, it’s the crappy healthcare system or we are screwed, blued, and tattooed.  Public sector usually grows such a bloated bureaucracy that it never provides the same level of service as a competitive private sector.  

[Gurn]

https://www.msn.com/g00/en-ca/news/canada/i-was-bawling-injured-broncos-mother-stunned-by-his-progress-after-surgery/ar-BBX9KBk?ocid=spartandhp&i10c.ua=5&i10c.encReferrer=

 

he mother of a hockey player paralyzed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash says she's stunned by the progress he has made since receiving spinal surgery in Thailand.

Doctors implanted an epidural stimulator in Ryan Straschnitzki's spine earlier this month and a week later injected stem cells above and below the injury in the hope that will help reverse some of the damage.

The 20-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., is to remain in Thailand until early December.

"Hands down I'm 200 per cent behind this. I didn't expect this kind of result this quickly,"  Michelle Straschnitzki said in an interview. "It's definitely not a quick fix. It's not a cure, but it's certainly progress and it's more than we've had in 19 months."

Tom Straschnitzki, who is also in Thailand, has posted a number of videos of his son's rehab, including one where the young man was able to move a leg. Another video shows him strapped into a harness as physiotherapists slowly help him walk with the use of a machine on wheels.

"Bout time he got off his ass. 1st time since he boarded the bus that horrendous day," Straschnitzki tweeted.

"Therapist helping with knees and ankles so they don't buckle. Ryan did so good, I sent him to the beer store for me."

Straschnitzki was one of 13 players who were injured when an inexperienced truck driver blew through a stop sign and into the path of the Saskatchewan junior hockey team's bus in April 2018. Sixteen others on the bus died.

Straschnitzki, who was paralyzed from the chest down, has said he isn't expecting a cure but hopes the implant will restore some muscle movement and things such as bladder control.

A small device like a remote control is to send electrical currents to his spinal cord to try to stimulate nerves and move limbs. The implant is being programmed to stimulate certain nerves mapped out by surgeons and therapists.

The surgery can cost up to $100,000 and isn't covered by public health care or insurance, because the epidural procedure has not been approved by Health Canada. The family is paying for it themselves. It is also performed in countries such as the United States and Switzerland, but it is much cheaper in Thailand.

The player's mother, who didn't go to Thailand, said he's been low key when she's talked to him.

"In typical Ryan fashion he's very quiet. All he says is he's very tired and you can tell. His body, his mind, everything is tired because he's pushing as far as he can."

Her son takes part in nerve mapping in the morning, does physio in the afternoon and then does more work with the implant, she said. He still plans to hit the ice in Bangkok with his hockey sledge before returning home.

Straschnitzki said seeing her boy's progress on the videos stunned her.

"I was just absolutely floored. It obviously brought the tears. I was bawling. It was unreal," she said.

"Tom said the last time Ryan walked was when he walked on the bus and then, to watch him moving his legs, walking essentially, that just rocked me."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2019.

[riffraff]

On 11/22/2019 at 3:04 PM, gurn said:

https://www.msn.com/g00/en-ca/news/canada/i-was-bawling-injured-broncos-mother-stunned-by-his-progress-after-surgery/ar-BBX9KBk?ocid=spartandhp&i10c.ua=5&i10c.encReferrer=

 

he mother of a hockey player paralyzed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash says she's stunned by the progress he has made since receiving spinal surgery in Thailand.

Doctors implanted an epidural stimulator in Ryan Straschnitzki's spine earlier this month and a week later injected stem cells above and below the injury in the hope that will help reverse some of the damage.

The 20-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., is to remain in Thailand until early December.

"Hands down I'm 200 per cent behind this. I didn't expect this kind of result this quickly,"  Michelle Straschnitzki said in an interview. "It's definitely not a quick fix. It's not a cure, but it's certainly progress and it's more than we've had in 19 months."

Tom Straschnitzki, who is also in Thailand, has posted a number of videos of his son's rehab, including one where the young man was able to move a leg. Another video shows him strapped into a harness as physiotherapists slowly help him walk with the use of a machine on wheels.

"Bout time he got off his ass. 1st time since he boarded the bus that horrendous day," Straschnitzki tweeted.

"Therapist helping with knees and ankles so they don't buckle. Ryan did so good, I sent him to the beer store for me."

Straschnitzki was one of 13 players who were injured when an inexperienced truck driver blew through a stop sign and into the path of the Saskatchewan junior hockey team's bus in April 2018. Sixteen others on the bus died.

Straschnitzki, who was paralyzed from the chest down, has said he isn't expecting a cure but hopes the implant will restore some muscle movement and things such as bladder control.

A small device like a remote control is to send electrical currents to his spinal cord to try to stimulate nerves and move limbs. The implant is being programmed to stimulate certain nerves mapped out by surgeons and therapists.

The surgery can cost up to $100,000 and isn't covered by public health care or insurance, because the epidural procedure has not been approved by Health Canada. The family is paying for it themselves. It is also performed in countries such as the United States and Switzerland, but it is much cheaper in Thailand.

The player's mother, who didn't go to Thailand, said he's been low key when she's talked to him.

"In typical Ryan fashion he's very quiet. All he says is he's very tired and you can tell. His body, his mind, everything is tired because he's pushing as far as he can."

Her son takes part in nerve mapping in the morning, does physio in the afternoon and then does more work with the implant, she said. He still plans to hit the ice in Bangkok with his hockey sledge before returning home.

Straschnitzki said seeing her boy's progress on the videos stunned her.

"I was just absolutely floored. It obviously brought the tears. I was bawling. It was unreal," she said.

"Tom said the last time Ryan walked was when he walked on the bus and then, to watch him moving his legs, walking essentially, that just rocked me."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2019.

Is someone cutting onions?