MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Steve Hughes watched in his rear-view mirror as the semi came up fast behind him.
Too fast.
He pulled his grain truck to the right and onto the rumble strip that marks the shoulder along the Trans-Canada Highway.
Still, the semi slammed into the back end of Hughes’ truck with such force that his truck rolled three times – once in the air – landing 70 metres away.
The box was shoved forward into the cab, gouging out the middle of Hughes’ right outer ear, peeling back his scalp and breaking three vertebrae. Had he been wearing a seatbelt, he would have been decapitated, his doctor later told him.
Read Also
Government, industry seek canola tariff resolution
Governments and industry continue to discuss how best to deal with Chinese tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, particularly canola.
The semi finally stopped 400 metres down the road.
There were no skid marks.
“I knew he was going to hit me,” Hughes said from a recliner in his Moose Jaw living room, where he sits and sleeps, his upper body immobilized by a halo.
“He caught two-thirds of the box.”
Hughes has no memory of the impact. He knows the details from witnesses and what his girlfriend Dana Vandesype tells him.
The 30-year-old farmer was in a Regina hospital for 10 days where he couldn’t believe how overworked the nurses were. Vandesype took over much of his care, except for administering medication.
Hughes will be in the halo for at least two more months and possibly five. He said he has a brain injury, although they don’t yet know how serious it is.
He faces physiotherapy and surgery to replace the missing part of his ear.
He may not be able to farm again.
Hughes farms and raises cattle with his 82-year-old grandfather on 16 quarters south of Chaplin. They had some bad luck two years ago when lightning struck and killed nine cows and five calves in a pasture.
This is much worse.
The accident happened just after noon Sept. 12 near the intersection of the Trans-Canada and Highway 19. Hughes had finished the year’s harvest the day before and was hauling grain to the elevator at Herbert.
According to RCMP, both vehicles were westbound on the divided highway. The 21-year-old driver of the semi, whose name hasn’t been released, was charged with driving without due care and attention under the provincial Traffic Safety Act. He was fined $270.
Hughes said he doesn’t think the fine is adequate, considering his injuries and possible loss of career.
RCMP spokesperson Brian Jones said the evidence supported the charge and fine.
“We don’t underestimate and don’t undervalue the impact crashes have on people, but we also have to apply the legislation we see fit,” he said.
Hughes is even more concerned about how he’s going to pay his bills. He and Vandesype have three children. She closed her in-home day-care service because Hughes requires so much care and is now there all the time.
Hughes’ grandfather and generous neighbours have been doing the farm work that must be done before winter.
Saskatchewan Government Insurance provides income benefits to Hughes as the victim and Vandesype as his caregiver.
“The amount of money they give you isn’t enough,” he said.
Under SGI’s no-fault insurance, an injured person is entitled to 90 percent of net income he was earning before the accident. Self-employed people can choose to take the benefit or hire a substitute worker.
The maximum insurable earnings are $65,834 per year and the maximum, paid for a substitute worker for a year is $36,816.
Hughes said he had to take the money himself because he has loans and bills to pay. Still, it’s a lot less than his normal annual income. Because he earns more than the maximum, he could sue for the difference.
“I don’t know why everything has to be such a fight,” Hughes said.
The proceeds from selling calves this fall should cover his normal farm expenses but won’t pay for anything extra, like season tickets to Moose Jaw Warriors hockey games.
“I can’t sit, I can’t drive to get there and I can’t afford it,” Hughes said.
He hopes by calving time he’ll at least be able to get out and check cows but he’s not anticipating doing anything more strenuous than that.
A month after the accident SGI was already asking him when he’d be back at work, he said. He believes the halo is a clear indication that he won’t be doing much any time soon.
Meanwhile, he hasn’t heard from either the semi driver or the company he was working for. The driver’s father and brother were in the semi with him but none came to check on Hughes.
A couple from Gravelbourg stopped to help and Hughes is thankful for that.
“The person I’m most thankful for is Dana,” he said.
