Cyclist hit by dump truck in Kelowna credits off-duty firefighter with helping save her life

A 39-year-old woman is recovering in hospital after sustaining serious injuries when she was struck and run over by a dump truck in downtown Kelowna, B.C. last week.

On the afternoon of June 4, Brooke Deschenes was heading eastbound on Harvey Avenue on her bicycle, when she was run over by a dump truck as it turned onto Harvey Avenue off Richter Street.

She was rushed to hospital with serious injuries, including broken bones in her right leg and a shattered pelvis, Part of her torso was "degloved," meaning the skin had been completely torn off of the underlying muscle, connective tissue and bone.

The driver of the truck remained on scene, and the investigation is ongoing. Police say no charges have been considered to date.

Deschenes has had several blood transfusions and surgeries but says she's doing better every day. 

Deschenes, a single mother, said her fate could have been much worse if it weren't for Marc Gruber, an off-duty firefighter and other bystanders who she credits with saving her life. 

"I think that the timeliness between Marc ... the paramedics and then the team of surgeons who helped, I think just the fact that everything was done so quickly was the really the only reason that I made it through," she said. 

Gruber said he "just did what he had to do." 

When he came upon the scene, he says, he grabbed some first responder gloves from his truck and went toward her. Other people were calling 911 on their cellphones, so he put all his effort into ensuring she was calm.

"[I was] talking with Brooke and reassuring her that people were coming, the right people were gonna be there and to concentrate and just pay attention to me and listen to me," he said. "I didn't want her to try to reach around and touch her leg because of the injury on her right leg."

Gruber said two other men were helping to keep Deschenes calm until the paramedics arrived, one of whom told her to squeeze his hand every time she felt pain.

Speaking to each other for the first time on CBC's Radio West, Gruber told Deschenes he was ecstatic to hear her voice, and to know she was doing better. 

"It just makes me feel special to know how she is and where she is in her life right now and she's doing better," he said. 

The two were connected when a friend of Deschenes's went searching online for the people that helped her that day. They've been texting and have now spoken on the phone. They plan to meet in person, and Deschenes hopes to introduce Gruber to her 10-year-old-son Luc.

Her friend is also trying to put her in touch with the other two men that were at the scene that day.

"I'm incredibly grateful," Deschenes said to Gruber. 

"I was so fortunate, and I think probably if you were not there, I would not be here, would not be in this condition."