“Everyone tells me that I really had a guardian angel that night,” she says, laughing softly.
It was a stormy evening when a Demers Ambulance team was tasked with transporting a pregnant woman in premature labor from Haut-Richelieu Hospital to Fleurimont Hospital in Sherbrooke, a journey of 140km.
Clinical nurse Katrine Roy was on board to support the patient as she specializes in contraception and pediatrics.
The 23-year-old was thrown from the ambulance after the violent collision with a rock wall.
She was found in the ditch, barely conscious, with her head in the water. The force of the impact tore off the rear door of the ambulance and pinned it to the ground.
He was in critical condition when he arrived at Fleurimont Hospital in Sherbrooke. His injuries were as serious as they were varied.
She quickly had to undergo surgery on her left arm because her humerus was deformed.
She was then prepared for brain surgery. She may also need surgery on her neck and collarbone… But her condition was so unstable and her internal organs were in such poor condition that doctors were unsure whether she would survive the operations. They feared the worst. Also his family.
The young nurse was placed in an induced coma for five days to give her a chance of recovery.
But Katrine Roy hadn't said her last word.
Miracle after miracle, she mastered the tests.
His fractures healed spontaneously and without surgery.
Against all odds, the nurse returned home on time for Christmas, a month after the accident.
Today she walks, talks and works on regaining her memory. She can do everything except wash her hair and drive because her impaired vestibular system makes her dizzy.
It still has significant repercussions. In particular, she must wear a neck brace at all times for “at least five to six weeks.”
She will have to continue her rehabilitation for several months, she said in an interview, then added that she dreams of “putting it all aside during her party next spring.” She is already looking forward to returning to work as a maternity ward at the Haut-Richelieu Hospital.
Today she does physical therapy. The rest will be followed up by the kinesiologist, the occupational therapist, the speech therapist, the neuropsychologist… “It will take several months,” she says.
But she is optimistic, happy to be alive, determined to break down barriers. That is, like before the accident.
Acceptance as a gift
Your strength, Katrine Roy, perhaps lies a little in the acceptance of what happened to her, in the realization that she is still very much alive. She doesn't have time to waste being angry at anyone or anything.
“Before I left Sherbrooke Hospital I was able to visit the patient who was in the ambulance with her partner and baby. I was happy to see her. It was a relief to see that they were okay and also recovering from the accident.”
– Nurse Katrine Roy
And to bring things full circle, she wanted to see again the paramedics who also saw her life change that night on Highway 10.
“It was important for me to see how the paramedics were doing and to tell them that I don’t blame them. It's an accident, it happens, that's all. I told one of the two paramedics to take the time to treat her injuries, but I really hope she would continue in this beautiful profession.
—Katrine Roy
She insists on thanking everyone who helped her: passers-by who helped in the moments after the impact on the highway, the paramedics and first responders who arrived afterwards, her loved ones and then the teams from the Fleurimont hospital of the CIUSSS de l' Estrie-CHUS, “who looked after me wonderfully”.
The thesis of the icy road
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and the Commission on Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) have completed their investigation into the matter. The accident was caused by road conditions and not by negligence or dangerous behavior.
On November 19, an SQ accident reconstruction expert was on site to analyze the accident scene.
Kilometer 104.5 of Highway 10 lies in the middle of the “most dangerous stretch of road in Estrie,” where nearly 1,000 accidents have occurred in 10 years. The “Eastman microclimate” makes road conditions in this sector slightly hazardous, which is nonetheless considered a “high priority” by Quebec’s Ministry of Transportation.
“In this case, there will be neither a criminal complaint nor a criminal complaint,” emphasizes Louis-Philippe Ruel, spokesman for the Sûreté du Québec.
The nurse admits she was not strapped into the back of the ambulance because she was caring for the patient. In the past, there have been several accidents in which paramedics standing at the rear were injured in collisions.
There is no law requiring paramedics to remain seated and strapped in during transport.
“I train medical personnel who have to accompany patients in ambulances and emphasize every time the importance of being connected,” explained Dr. Jean-Sébastien Tremblay-Roy, Director and Head of the Department of Pediatrics, in an interview at the CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS and the University of Sherbrooke.
A measure that is restrictive, “but very important,” he emphasized.
The Sûreté du Québec file was forwarded to the CNESST, which, after analyzing and collecting information, also decided not to proceed.
The rescue vehicle was equipped with winter tires at the time of the accident.
In an interview with Les Coops de l'information, Eastman Fire Department Director Daniel Lefebvre also confirmed that the road was slippery when he and his team drove there to help the ambulance passengers.