Kingston man, Ben Crittenden, is lucky to be alive, and is recovering from surgery after a freak hunting accident near Tweed, Ontario Monday, which left him impaled by the arrow of a crossbow.
“To be completely honest, it brought me to tears,” Childhood friend Dominic Owens said.
It’s unclear exactly how the arrow became disengaged, but the end result left the arrow only a millimetre from his heart.
“Had (First Responders) moved him a little more than they did. Had they not packaged him properly, or had they not immobilized that arrow – it could have moved that one millimetre,” Owens said while holding back tears.
Crittenden was rushed to Belleville General Hospital from Tweed, then airlifted to Kingston General Hospital where surgery to remove the arrow was successful.
“I would like to thank the community for their concern and well-wishes,” Crittenden said in a statement to CKWS TV. “As well as to all the first responders and medical professionals who have helped me.”
He is likely to remain in intensive care for at least another two days.