A Saanich man struck by a falling tree in Beaver Lake park last October remains paralyzed and in hospital. His family is hosting a fundraising garage sale this weekend to support his rehabilitation.
Dave Inglis, 54, who lives in Royal Oak, suffered serious head and spinal cord injuries when a large dead tree toppled on him without warning on Oct. 13, 2012.
He was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital and remained in a coma for three weeks. He has been in Victoria General since November, paralyzed from the chest down, said Susan Yates, Inglis’s sister.
“He was walking with his three friends and their dogs, and a dead tree fell from 50 feet off the path. It wasn’t even a windy day. It just came down on him,” Yates said.
Family and friends are fundraising for Inglis to cover expenses such as an electric wheelchair, a wheelchair van, and ongoing rehabilitation. His family is looking to place the former construction blaster in a long-term care facility. Yates said her brother will never be able to return to his home due to stairs and his limited mobility.
“His ongoing medical costs will be substantial,” said Yates, who relocated from Kelowna to look after her brother. “He needs ongoing care and has added medical expenses.”
Yates said she contacted three personal injury lawyers, and none would take on her brother’s case. An added frustration is that rehabilitation is slow going due to extreme pain in Inglis’s shoulder, Yates said, which has disqualified him from two different rehabilitation clinics.
The fundraising garage sale is at 541 Normandy Rd. on Saturday and Sunday (June 1 and 2) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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