'Lucky to be alive': U.S. man loses eye in hiking injury on B.C.'s West Coast Trail
Warning: This story contains graphic details.
A Texas man is in hospital after he lost an eye in a hiking injury on the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, B.C.
Edward Steinkamp was hiking the trail with his son on May 3 when he fell and had a branch pierce through his eye and partially into his brain.
Steinkamp was airlifted to hospital for what Parks Canada described as "serious injuries" at the time, though the organization noted that the man was in "stable condition."
A rescue helicopter is pictured on the West Coast Trail. (MARPAC)
On Friday, a family member said Steinkamp had lost his eye because of the injury and the branch had penetrated his frontal lobe.
"The surgeon said, 'You're lucky to be alive, you've got this branch in your brain," said the hiker's brother, Peter Steinkamp.
He's set to undergo further surgery due to an infection on Friday.
"It looks like he lost one eye because when he fell on the branch it severed an optic nerve," said the man's brother.
"They removed it but now they're looking at some infections," he said.
FRIENDS LAUNCH FUNDRAISER
An online fundraiser has been set up to support the hiker's family. Steinkamp's older brother says there's been insurance challenges since the U.S. man was in Canada, and adds that Steinkamp's son and wife are trying to stay on Vancouver Island while he receives care.
"They've got to stay for maybe a month," said the man's brother.
Peter Steinkamp says the injury was a freak accident, noting that his brother runs marathons and takes part in other outdoor activities across the U.S.
"So him doing this was not much of a thing," said the brother.
"His son was shook up as you can imagine."
Family members say they're grateful for the rescue teams that evacuated Steinkamp from the remote trail, and for the medical teams that are looking after him now.
Steinkamp's brother says the family is keeping him in their thoughts, especially as he undergoes another surgery.
"[We're] not out of the woods when they say, 'We've got to fight this infection in the brain.' It's not very easy," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.