Crash victim’s recovery astounds

James Weldon, North Shore News
Published: December 10, 2008

Brandon Blasbalg, 18, a graduate from Sutherland Secondary school got in a horrible car crash on September 20 and is recovering faster than anyone imagined. Brandon was driving down Boundary Road and Marine Drive at 2 am when he fell asleep at the wheel and lost control of his car, crossed the meridian and hit an oncoming semi where he was thrown back and caught on flames. Lucky there was a police officer off duty traveling not too far behind him, she quickly grabbed her fire extinguisher and started to put out the flames, yet it was not enough. Another officer was going and collecting other fire extinguishers from nearby neighbours. A total of 10 extinguishers were used before the fire trucks arrived. Brandon was finally pulled out of his car by using the Jaws of Life. He served major burns to his head, arms and legs, and broken bones in his face, when arriving at Vancouver General hospital was put into metical indorsed coma. At first Brandon was thought to someone else, another ID was in the car and was recovered first but finally they figured out who he was and told Linda Shores, his mother. The first days at the hospital they were told that he might not make it, or that if he does he is going to be in a wheel chair and lose parts of his body that were severely injured. Brandon amazingly woke up from his coma. He was moved to the burn center in the hospital where he went through a lot of different procedures to help with the burns. He returned home on November 22, but still has to wear a full body suit. In the hospital Brandon was given many gifts from the community to make his life just a little bit easier, he was also fully supported through this whole thing from family and friends. This story is hard hitting to any teenager that knows Brandon, I am lucky to be one of those people. This story shows so much and how miracles can happen. Brandon went from almost going to die to being let out early from the hospital. "I just want kids to know that they're not invincible." This statement made my Linda Shores is true and is proven by Brandon’s accident he was just lucky enough to survive.

Brandon and Mother Linda

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