Driver involved in deadly Coquihalla crash grateful for courageous bystanders
A driver involved in a horrific accident that claimed the life of another driver on the Coquihalla Highway earlier this week is at home recovering from soft tissue injuries and a head concussion, but he remains thankful for everyone who helped during the chaotic scene that night.
Jesse Legroulx was towing a trailer with five horses four kilometres east of the Logan Lake turnoff when he was hit by a car from the opposite lane which lost control on black ice and crossed the median around 9 p.m., Oct. 22.
“I’ve been hauling livestock for twenty years and have never been in an accident,” he said.
Still shaken up by the tragic ordeal, Legroulx wants to share his condolences for the family of the driver who died and shine a light on the many helping hands that came together and worked for hours that night.
“OnStar in my truck immediately spoke to me and called 911,” he said. “Me and my co-pilot Liam Milford got out and looked up to see two horses standing on the highway in the headlights of oncoming vehicles.”
READ MORE: One person dead, another injured following Coquihalla crash involving horses
The impact of the collision caused the horse trailer to detach, and land in a ditch where the roof popped open.
Legroulx and Milford managed to catch both horses and get them off the highway.
They saw a cowboy holding onto a third horse with what looked like his belt, sliding on the ice behind it until he was able to secure it.
Legroulx said moments later a semi-truck arrived and stopped to tell them he spotted a horse a kilometre down the road. Helping bystanders got the three horses off the road and fed them hay to keep them relaxed.
Emergency services arrived to attend to the driver in the opposite vehicle where two volunteers were already attending to the man.
“I was very relieved to see there was a young man and a nurse who were helping to attend the man who died,” Legroulx said. “They were heroes taking care of him while allowing me to take care of the animals to prevent more potential accidents.”
The last horse and a dog were trapped in the trailer and Legroulx, with the help of the cowboy and bystanders, managed to move surrounding debris and free the horse.
The fire department cut open a crate wedged in the trailer to rescue the dog.
A large animal veterinarian and local ranch owner, Kelly Kennedy, arrived with trailers and managed to pick up the horse that was still a kilometre down the highway. They took the five horses and two dogs away from the accident scene to safety.
“It was an incredible scene that needed to be managed for hours,” Legroulx said. “I managed the scene with Liam along with the help of numerous bystanders to get the livestock safely secured and allow emergency crews to come in and help the other driver.”
“Our hearts break for the family of the man who lost his life.”
READ MORE: Pedestrian struck by semi on Trans-Canada in Kamloops
Legroulx’s wife Lindsay drove three hours from Kelowna to pick him and Milford up and take them back to Kelowna General Hospital to be assessed.
Both of the men were left with concussions and soft tissue damage.
“I want to thank all the people who were there, the heroic volunteers who attended to the other driver and the hero of a cowboy who helped so much.”
They call it a miracle Jesse survived.
“I’m committed to having the best, safest equipment and I don’t ever travel in bad conditions,” he said. “The weather conditions were actually really good except for that short stretch of ice and the driver who died appeared to be driving safely at the time, it was just an unfortunate accident.”
Jesse was also transporting a dog called Roscoe who is a very highly trained protection dog and was being returned to its breeder. He said Roscoe watched him protectively throughout the ordeal while being held by a helpful bystander.
The Legroulx family has adopted Roscoe where he is protecting the family and helping them heal, something Lindsay calls “a silver lining in the midst of a tragic event.”
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