West Coast Trail hiker who lost eye on hike now fighting brain infection
The rugged West Coast Trail was a bucket-list hike that the father-son duo Ed and Bret Steinkamp had been planning for some time.
This year the pair got their wish, hiking the iconic path and discovering its challenges.
"It’s a gorgeous trail," said Bret."Mud that if you step in it you go up to your mid-calves."
On day three of the hike, to avoid an extra muddy section of the trail, Bret’s father decided to walk along the trunk of a fallen tree. That’s when he lost his footing, falling on a branch, sending it through his eye socket and lodging into this brain.
“It broke off in the fall and he stood back up right after,” said Bret. “He stood right back up and looked at us.”
Then Ed passed out.
A minute later he woke up with the roughly 14-inch stick poking out of his face.
Fortunately, it was then that some hikers came across the pair. They raced ahead and managed to find cell service where they called emergency services.
Hours later, rescuers arrived. Ed was lifted out of the trail and flown to Victoria General Hospital.
“They rushed him into operation and got the stick out,” said Bret.
With the stick now out, Ed has lost sight in his left eye but now faces more serious issues. It’s unclear if he will suffer lasting brain damage and his brain has a serious infection.
“There’s a potential that there’s still a small splinter or something back there that’s probably making it so the antibiotics aren’t working as well,” said Bret. “It’s just a good source to start the infection.”
Bret says his father is in stable condition and because of that, doctors don’t want to risk brain surgery.
“We decided to start a GoFundMe,” said Sue Lowe, a family friend and the organizer of the fundraiser.
Ed’s wife and Bret’s mother has now flown out from Texas to be with the family and the bills are adding up.
“The airfare, the car rental, everyone knows what gas is now, none of that will be covered,” said Lowe.
Because of Ed’s injury, he will not be able to fly home but instead the family will drive back to Dallas.
A full recovery will take months, if not years. But once it’s all over, Ed and Bret want to come back and finish the hike they started.
“The goal is to recover, get used to having only one eye, and then go back and do it again,” said the determined son.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.