WATCH: The man who was struck by a car that flew off the racetrack at Saratoga Speedways last weekend remains in intensive care. Jonathan Sedman faces a wide range of serious injuries and a long recovery ahead, but as Kori Sidaway tells us, there’s a surprise little bundle of joy when he wakes up from sedation. Warning: Some of the images in this story may disturb some viewers.
It was a usual wild weekend at the racetrack. Engines were roaring and tires squealing.
But in a split second, it all went very wrong.
Jonathan Sedman was setting up fireworks right under where the race car flipped over the railing. It landed right on top of him.
“He was actually pinned down under the racecar,” says Oyster River Fire Deputy Chief Chris Murray.
“There were a bunch of race car drivers that were on scene that lifted the car to pull him out.”
When Oyster River Fire arrived on scene, Jonathan was conscious but he was having difficulty breathing and his legs were numb.
“He just kept saying I don’t know what happened. What happened?” says Murray.
Jonathan was air-evacuated to Vancouver General Hospital, where he currently remains in the intensive care unit with serious injuries.
“His breathing isn’t quite at the place yet where he can actually breathe on his own. It’s going to take some time to actually get to that place,” says his sister Jennifer Sedman.
But when Jonathan does come out of sedation, he’ll be in for the surprise of his life.
He’s now a father to a beautiful baby boy.
Christa Sedman and the new baby. The baby is now off the feeding tube.
Eight months pregnant, his wife went into early labour when she found out about the accident. She was sent to a separate hospital. It wasn’t the start the new family expected.
“He was so excited to be a father, so it’s just heartbreaking,” says Jennifer.
“She was just released yesterday out of the hospital and was able to see my brother. But the baby is still in the hospital. It’s having some problems with feeding.”
A GoFundMe page set up for the family has already raised more than $10,000 dollars. And with both dad and baby needing to recover, Saratoga Speedways is hoping to help.
“On the 20th of October, his father is going to shoot the fireworks off and all the proceeds from that night are going towards the Stedman family,” says Saratoga Speedways owner Paul Hargrave.
“Our goal is to help the family as much as we can.”
The speedway has a cement meridian and a row of parked cars separating working employees from the racetrack. The company says they’ve never seen something like this before.
Calling it a freak accident, Hargrave says that while employees are rarely in the area Jonathan was during races, the company says they will ensure that employees will no longer be able to work in those areas during races.
Additionally, WorkSafeBC says they have dispatched an investigation officer to the speedway.
Kori Sidaway
