A 13-year-old boy from Victoria is receiving an award from BC Emergency Health Services for helping save his grandfather while the pair were on a hunting trip in Lake Cowichan last year.
BCEHS says Carter Burkard was in the Lake Cowichan area on a hunting trip with his grandfather, John Burkard, on Nov. 3, 2022.
The pair were returning from their outing when their ATV went over an embankment.
The teen was thrown from the vehicle, while the 68-year-old grandfather was pinned underneath the quad with “significant, traumatic injuries,” according to BCEHS.
Carter sprung into action and quickly activated his grandfather’s Garmin InReach GPS device, which alerted an emergency response call centre in Texas.
That call centre then contacted B.C. paramedics and sent them the pair’s GPS coordinates.
The Texas emergency call centre was also able to provide BCEHS with Carter’s cellphone number, and paramedics were in contact with the pair while an air ambulance was flying in.
While the helicopter was en route, Carter was able to pull his grandfather out from underneath the quad and helped him climb up the embankment to a forest service road, where they waited for first responders to arrive.
“The entire time Carter showed incredible bravery and resilience,” said BCEHS in a release Wednesday.
“Carter was able to provide clear information on the condition of his grandfather and details of their location to responders so they could be found quickly.”
A ground ambulance picked up the pair from the logging road and took them to where an air ambulance could land.
The grandfather was then flown to Victoria General Hospital for treatment.
On Thursday, the BCEHS planned to present Carter with a Good Samaritan Award, which are given to people who have provided “unselfish and humanitarian assistance during a medical emergency.”
Recipients of the BCEHS’ Good Samaritan Award are nominated by paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers or supervisors.
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Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said Carter Burkard was from the U.S. when in fact, he is from Victoria.
Adam Chan
