P.A. teen released from ICU; father praises incredible care from strangers and EMS

By Teena Monteleone, paNOW

A Prince Albert teenager who was struck while helping a driver in a ditch on Highway 11 has been released from hospital.

Morgan Miller suffered multiple broken bones and serious internal injuries when he was hit by a passing car on Jan. 14, but his father Brendan said the 17-year-old is on the mend and now back home with his family.

“We are hoping for a 110 per cent recovery and we’re expecting nothing less, but it’s going to be a long road to get there and there’s a lot of work to be done,” Brendan said.

Morgan has no recollection of the accident, but his father said they’re learning more about what happened from eyewitnesses and an investigation is ongoing. Brendan said the real story is about the strangers and emergency responders who helped his son.

“There was a tractor driver who was pulling out another vehicle at the time. He stayed with Morgan until the helicopter landed on the highway,” Brendan said. “There was another lady from Prince Albert. Apparently, she is an ER nurse. She came and gave him first responder care when he was in the ditch. I’d love to know who she is.”

And there was a third lady — someone Brendan described as an angel. She had a blanket in the back of her vehicle that her grandmother gave her when she was 16.

“She’s 50 now and she always carried the blanket around with her. She was third on scene and wrapped Morgan in this blanket to keep him warm,” Brendan said. “Those people are just super. I can’t describe it. It puts your faith back in humanity. There’s some wonderful people out there.”

That exceptional care extended to the hospital, where Morgan spent two weeks in the intensive care unit.

“One night, he was getting really antsy and uncomfortable. This nurse came in like another angel and whispered in his ear and rubbed his hair until he was out sleeping. Those nurses were so professional and incredible with their bedside manner. Morgan is doing his best to get better, but all those other people need some serious credit,” Brendan said.

The chief of the Osler Fire Department, who was among the first responders to the incident, is happy to hear about Morgan’s status.

“You’re always happy to hear somebody come home from a horrific accident like that; sometimes the outcomes don’t work out that way,” Jason Pauls said. “Hopefully he’ll have a speedy recovery and we wish him and his family well.”

Meanwhile, Pauls said it was a great gesture the family was donating the proceeds of a GoFundMe campaign to STARS air ambulance.

“It’s a good organization. We work in an area of the province where we have some of the best first responders and fire departments and we have STARS to complement everything we need,” he said.

As of Friday, more than $8,000 had been raised.

“If it wasn’t for the amazing STARS crew or all those other people working together to help my son, who knows what conversation we’d be having today,” Miller said.

— With files from Glenn Hicks