ATWOOD – “It was just the biggest freak accident. I still don’t really know what went down, because we weren’t there. Shelby was with him but said the snow was kicked up when he was in front of her. Then he just vanished.”
Six weeks later, Kim Crossman still doesn’t know exactly what happened to her common-law partner, Wayne Knarr, that night. Their family was snowmobiling at their friends’ 100-acre farm near Newry for the day on March 12, just as they had done annually for years prior.
Wayne and his daughter, Shelby, 16, were taking one last run after midnight. After losing him temporarily in that plume of snow, Shelby found him a short time later on a small hill, lying beside his machine.
“I didn’t realize the extent of his injury, I wasn’t thinking it was as bad as it was,” recalled Crossman. “He was conscious, he just couldn’t remember what had happened.”
“He said that he couldn’t move his legs,” added Staisha Hostettler, who owns the farm property with her husband, Fred, where the incident occurred. “And then we knew we had to call 911.
“Everything just happened so fast.”
Knarr, 51, was transported to London hospital where he was immediately admitted into surgery. He sustained two spinal breaks, and a fracture between his neck and spine that had to be fused. The surgeon told Crossman that he was paralyzed from the chest down, and that there was a very outside chance of him walking again.
“He’s got no movement and no feeling,” said Crossman, adding that he can now turn his head, which is encouraging. “His arms aren’t bad, but he has limited mobility right now.”
Knarr worked at a Kitchener manufacturing facility prior to his injury, and enjoyed snowmobiling and fishing in his spare time. He remains in hospital in London, with a lengthy rehabilitation ahead of him as he learns to navigate his life in a wheelchair and to regain his independence.
Increasing expenses
Crossman has been making near daily trips down to London to visit Knarr, which have been adding up financially. The family will also need to acquire the equipment he requires for mobility, while converting their bungalow into a more accessible space once he returns home. They are currently seeking a construction company that will perform the renovations required through the March of Dimes program.
Knarr and Crossman have lived in Atwood since 2006.
“It’s getting very, very expensive,” she said. “I’m trying to stay positive every day.”
Two weeks after the accident, Hostettler established a gofundme page to help offset the significant expenses the family has been contending with. It can be found online at gofundme.com by searching ‘Wayne Knarr’s Recovery.’
Crossman said she is grateful for the support she and her two daughters have received from the Hostettlers and the community as a whole; neighbours have been offering assistance every way they can, even providing gas money for Crossman’s frequent trips to London.
“Some of the neighbours have been really amazing,” said Crossman. “You don’t really know your neighbours until something like this happens, and then they’re coming to your door.”
“I’m here to help anyway I can. I’ve been bringing meals over, I’ve been driving her to the hospital,” added Hostettler. “I know it’s a lot, and she needs a break. It’s stressful. It’s traumatic for everybody.”
Crossman admits that both she and Wayne have been frustrated with the process of obtaining financial assistance with their circumstances, as well as the lack of available support for mental health counselling.
A lot has happened in six weeks, and they just want Wayne to be able to come home and begin his recovery more comfortably.
“I want him to come home, he wants to come home,” said Crossman. “But you’ve got to roll with the punches, I guess.”
