Watch above: Last Friday, a teenager was stabbed near Coliseum Transit Centre. Today, an Edmonton bus driver shares how he tried to help the victim. Kent Morrison reports.
EDMONTON – In his 17 years with Edmonton Transit, Andrew Metcalfe has witnessed some horrific crashes, but he’d never come to the aid of a stabbing victim – until last Friday.
Metcalfe had just started his morning route and pulled into the Coliseum Transit Centre.
“There was a sudden commotion and a few people ran around the side of my bus screaming that someone had been stabbed and pleading for help.”
READ MORE: Assault shuts down Edmonton’s Coliseum Transit Centre
“I jumped out and I ran over to where the victim was.”
“He had a really bad stab wound to the back of his head and was bleeding out.”
Metcalfe, along with three other transit operators, tried to help the young victim and called 911.
“What you have to do is try and get the legs elevated, staunch the blood flow.
“I stuck my finger right into the wound until we could get a compression bandage from a First Aid Kit.”
“We’re massaging his heart, trying to talk to him, trying to make sure that he’s still alive,” said Metcalfe, adding that the victim – who was later identified as 18-year-old Jordan Lavallee – was unconscious.
Metcalfe estimates it took roughly 12 minutes for EMS to arrive.
“A long 10 minutes… When you’re doing something like that, you’re not looking at your watch.”
“I was just focused on trying to help the kid. He was a young guy.”
Metcalfe has had Emergency First Aid training, but admits he didn’t think too much before jumping into action.
“Ninety per cent of it is common sense. I mean, if you see somebody bleeding, you try to stop the bleeding.”
The Grade 12 student was rushed to hospital where he remains.
READ MORE: Family of teen stabbed near Coliseum Station thanks those who helped save his life
“Once the adrenaline slows down … you start getting the flashbacks of what’s just happened,” said Metcalfe. “Your head’s trying to put it all in some sort of logical story… that was the worst part of the day.”
Lavellee’s grandmother told Global News Thursday he was no longer in a medically-induced coma. Linda Lavallee said Jordan was blinking and nodding his head. She said they are still waiting to see the extent of his injuries. The family has been told he may be paralysed.
“I hope he does recover,” said Metcalfe. “He’s a young guy. He’s got his whole life ahead of him.”
The veteran operator won’t take too much credit for his quick response.
“I think maybe we bought him 20 minutes. But, a life saver? No. That’s the guys in the hospital and the ambulance… the people who are doing the surgery, the doctors, the nurses. Those are the people who save the lives. I think we just bought him some time.”
Metcalfe’s boss, however, is quick to praise those drivers.
“They saved a life. They sprung into action,” said George Kuhse.
“They used what they had available and they helped the person,” added the ETS divisional supervisor.
“I’m proud of him to this day.”
Edmonton police have identified two young male suspects and one young female witness in this case but have not made any arrests.
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