NORTH BATTLEFORD - A local man, Vincent Martin Spyglass, had his pelvis shattered and had to have his leg amputated and after being struck by a vehicle while he was walking on a street in North Battleford on Jan. 17.
The victim, in his fifties, was airlifted by STARS Air Ambulance to a hospital in Saskatoon, where he remains in critical care.
“He is already disabled and he’s more disabled now,” said his sister Edna Moosomin Baker. “That’s very upsetting.
She said that her brother is terrified.
“My brother can’t speak for himself. He’s a very scared man. He holds our hands and doesn’t want us to leave him. He’s very scared. He doesn’t know what is going on.”
Moosomin Baker said they are a large family and have been taking turns driving to Saskatoon to be with him. Most of them live in North Battleford, with some residing in La Ronge and Prince Albert, she said.
“We have been with him as soon as we heard about it the next day. We all surrounded him during the surgery. We are all taking turns. We are a big family.”
Moosomin Baker described her brother, known as “Vinny” by those close to him, as a kind-hearted man who had formed deep connections with people in the community, including those at the Lighthouse shelter.
“He made friends with the street people. He would hang around at the Lighthouse. Everybody knew him.”
She said their family are struggling with the emotional toll of the accident.
“We have questions but we have no answers.”
According to Saskatchewan RCMP, on Jan. 17, Battlefords RCMP got a report of a collision involving a pedestrian at the intersection of 11th Avenue and 100th Street in North Battleford.
“Officers responded immediately. An adult male was transported to hospital by STARS with injuries described as serious in nature,” said a Saskatchewan RCMP spokesperson in an email on Jan. 21. “Battlefords RCMP continue to investigate with the assistance of a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist.”
Battlefords RCMP say the driver of the vehicle has been ticketed for speeding and driving without due care and attention. Their investigation is ongoing with the assistance of a collision reconstructionist from Saskatchewan RCMP.
A video, recorded shortly after the collision, has been circulating on social media. The footage, provided to SaskToday by a North Battleford resident, shows the injured pedestrian lying on the sidewalk with blood surrounding his leg. The man appears visibly distressed, waving his arms and rolling on the ground, while the driver of the blue car remains inside the vehicle. The car’s front driver’s side is visibly damaged, with debris scattered across the sidewalk.
A friend of the family has been collecting donations to help the family with travel and lodging costs to Saskatoon to be with Vinny. Anyone who wants to help can by contacting [email protected]
