Texas father is permanently blinded in one eye after freak slip during ‘hike of a lifetime’ to Canada with his son and piercing eyeball with tree branch
- Ed Steinkamp, 67, and his son, Bret, 28 set out to Victoria, Canada to enjoy a father and son hiking adventure until the freak accident occurred
- As the pair were climbing along the West Coast Trail, Steinkam lost his footing, slipped on a branch that went through his left eye reaching into his brain
- Steinkamp had to be airlifted by Pacheedahl First National Guardians to Victoria General Hospital
- He had to wait up to six hours in excruciating pain as the national guard had to refuel before getting to him
- Family members determined he had lost his eye and is now ‘fighting infection, an ongoing fever, and is in much pain’
- A GoFundMe has been created to help the family with the massive medical expenses they and the long recovery ahead
A Texas father has permanently lost sight in one eye after he accidentally slipped and impaled his eye on tree branch in a freak accident while hiking with his son in Canada.
Ed Steinkamp, 67, and his twenty-eight-year-old son, Bret set out to hike the scenic lush trails in British Columbia to enjoy a father and son hiking adventure until the tragic ordeal.
On May 3, during the third day of their hike, as the pair were climbing along the West Coast Trail, Steinkamp, an avid hiker, decided to walk across a massive tree branch that had fallen rather than tread through the mud. While doing so, he suddenly lost his footing, slipped and landed on a branch that went through his left eye reaching into his brain.
Steinkamp had to be airlifted by Pacheedahl First National Guardians to Victoria General Hospital. But, before help arrived he had to wait up to six hours in excruciating pain as the national guard had to refuel before getting to him .
The beloved father was rushed into emergency brain surgery at Victoria General Hospital and and spent days in the ICU. He was recently moved to the Neuro Trauma Ward and is under the care of a neurosurgeon.
‘Ed is now fighting infection and is in much pain. It has been determined he has lost sight in one eye and is fighting an ongoing fever,’ family friend Susan Lowe wrote in a GoFundMe on May 9.
Ed Steinkamp, 67,(pictured left) and his twenty-eight-year-old son, Bret (pictured right) is recovering after enduring a horrible accident while hiking across the West Coast Trail on a father and son hiking adventure in late April after a tree branch went through his left eye reaching into his brain. It took more than six hours for medics to arrive
Ed Steinkamp is an avid hiker. He is pictured here smiling as he climbs the West Coast Trail surrounded by lush greenery. He is and his son were planning this long-awaited hiking trip they described as an ‘opporunity of a lifetime.’ Steinkamp is lucky to be alive
A photo of a random hiker climbing the West Coast Trail, which shows a similar terrain Steinkamp and his son Bret hiked, before the April 30 accident that nearly took his life
Since the terrifying ordeal, Steinkamp’s wife flew out from Texas to meet their son and be at his side.
Lowe said it is unclear how long he will remain hospitalized but said the costs for his medical care will be enormous, in addition to the expenses.
‘Ed will not be allowed to fly for months, so they will now need to rent a vehicle and drive him across the country to get home when he is finally released, which with the cost of car rentals and gas and another week of hotel bills can be enormous,’ she said.
She hopes the fundraiser will help alleviate some of their bills, saying in part, so her friend can concentrate on getting well.
Described as selfless, and kind, Steinkamp has a long road ahead.
She added: ‘Ed has touched so many of our lives with kindness and laughter. He has never turned down any one of us whenever we have asked for help or in our time of need. Let us now help help him.’
As of Thursday, nearly $17,000 has been raised towards their goal of $200,000.