Father of 3 fighting for his life after being pinned under ATV for a week
Man who found Andrew Horsley, 41, thought he was dead when he first spotted him in a ditch
Andrew Horsley's mother says it is a miracle her son is alive after he was found unconscious and trapped under his all-terrain vehicle on a northern Vancouver Island logging road but he still has a lot of recovering to do.
The 41-year-old father of three was discovered in a ditch by a man out for a drive on Oct. 22 on the same remote road near Port Alice, B.C. According to Andrew Horsley's mother, Marilyn Horsley, her son was likely there for seven or eight days before someone out for a drive spotted him and alerted authorities.
He is currently on life support in a Victoria hospital where he was airlifted after he was rescued. His mother has maintained a vigil at his bedside for almost two weeks.
Marilyn Horsley said her son suffered numerous injuries after being crushed from the waist down by the ATV and lying exposed to the elements for days. She said he was not wearing a helmet and had no food or water with him.
Doctors had to amputate his left leg and he has suffered six brain bleeds, but his mother says, despite still being in a coma, she is optimistic her son will pull through.
She said there was a sign Horsley was improving on Sunday night when a friend at his bedside told him he could stick out his tongue and he did. Marilyn Horsley said her son also smiled after making the gesture.
"I'm just blessed, because, every day, all the injuries that he had changed, and it's like a miracle," she said."We're just so grateful for everybody who is praying and here for us."
The man who found Andrew Horsley was out for a drive with his daughter. He told police something in his gut urged him to turn down the road where he discovered what he thought was a dead body.
The man immediately drove to the Port Alice RCMP detachment, who alerted local search and rescue.
According to his mother, Andrew Horsley was breathing on his own when he was first taken to the closest hospital in Port Hardy.
He remains in a coma in the Intensive Care Unit at Victoria General.
With files from CHEK News