So relieved to see Mark McMorris giving the thumbs up as he recovers from a ruptured spleen, fractured jaw and left arm, collapsed lung, pelvic fracture, and rib fractures after a nasty accident in the BC backcountry.
His brother Craig spoke with The Toronto Sun and shared the details of the accident that happened last Saturday. A group of friends, including Mark and his brother, built a kicker in the BC backcountry. Mark hit the jump and veered into a grouping of trees at a high speed. He never lost consciousness after the impact but was struggling to breathe with a collapsed lung, broken ribs and the blood pooling in his mouth from the broken jaw.
Craig McMorris and the other members of the group didn’t move him for fear of spinal injury and had to wait 90 minutes for the search and rescue helicopter to arrive. They surrounded Mark with their jackets as hypothermia was a real danger. Craig recounted the scene:
“You can die from that, from bleeding out. But it was so hard for him to breathe, so that was my biggest concern with time. I communicated that to the search and rescue, and that’s why they got there as fast as they possibly could. Mark knew it was super bad. I knew it was super bad. But you just have to think positive, and that’s why he is still here.”
They airlifted Mark to the Whistler Health Care Centre, where doctors further stabilized him and arranged for a Medevac air ambulance flight to Vancouver General Hospital. He underwent surgery to stem internal bleeding from the spleen Saturday night and underwent more surgery to repair his fractured jaw and arm Sunday night. He is currently convalescing in Vancouver. Craig had this to say about his brother’s improving condition:
“He’s talking, hanging out. His personality is back. He’s more sassy than he’s ever been. It’s all positive.”
With Mark’s improved to non-life threatening, there is one thing that people can’t stop talking about and its Mark’s chances of competing for Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. His brother Craig is very optimistic when he spoke with The Sun:
“It’s more than possible. It’s for sure. I mean, he’s tough as nails. It’s been 48 hours and he’s gone from being the most broken human to talking and communicating. He’s got a stronger grip than I do in his right hand. The amount of progress he’s made in the last two days is insane. I’m 100% confident. In his mind, he’s going to the Olympics. In my mind, he’s going to the Olympics. There’s no reason why he can’t.”
Best wishes to Mark as he gets better in Vancouver. The 23 year old Regina native has a lot more riding to do and we hope he back up on his board in no time. Get well soon!
[images from Craig McMorris Instagram]
