Skip to content

Fundraiser started for tow truck driver injured near Malakwa

John Brown is recovering from serious injuries in hospital.
19906135_web1_191222-SAA-JohnBrowntowtruck
John Brown, pictured here with his wife Venus, was injured while on the job as a tow truck driver near Malakwa. (GoFundMe Image)

Friends of a tow truck driver who was seriously injured while on the job on the Trans-Canada Highway in Malakwa are raising money to assist him during his recovery.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started by Mike Horsley, who identifies himself as a friend and former coworker of John Brown, the injured tow truck driver. The fundraiser page states that Brown was out of his vehicle preparing to tow away a small pickup shortly after 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20 when another truck travelling on the highway struck his tow truck from behind.

Read More: Salmon Arm veteran turning 100, offers secret to 72-year marriage

Read More: Fighting bears, angry neighbours: Here’s what went viral for 2019 in B.C.

Horsley’s fundraising appeal states that Brown’s truck was badly damaged in the wreck with it’s deck pushed into the cab. He added that Brown, who Horsley saw before he was transferred from Vernon Jubilee hospital to the ICU in Kelowna, told him that he has no memory of the accident. Horsley said Brown has since been moved out of the ICU.

According to Horsley the RCMP was already near the site of the accident and an ambulance was called quickly. The GoFundMe page states that Brown has several, broken bones, internal bleeding including some that might be coming from one of his kidneys and possible damage to his vertebrae.

“Those that know John, know that he is a force of nature, that will keep ticking, when any ‘normal person’ would just roll over and expire,” Horsley writes.

Read More: More funding needed to combat invasive mussels in the Okanagan

Read More: CSRD identifies Sunnybrae water quality issues to be result of intake leak

The first thing on Brown’s mind is getting back to work to cover bills and the cost of his recent wedding in the Phillipines; according to Horsley the GoFundMe page was started in hopes of taking care of some of the bills allowing Brown to focus on his recovery. According to the GoFundMe page, his new bride Venus Balagot Balaba is very concerned and feeling helpless while half a world away in the Phillipines.

Horsley stated that meaningful enforcement of the current slow down move over laws intended to prevent accidents like the one that badly injured Brown is needed.

The GoFundMe page assisting Brown with his recovery can be found at: www.gofundme.com/f/HelpJohnBrown.



jim.elliot@saobserver.net

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter



Jim Elliot

About the Author: Jim Elliot

I’m a B.C. transplant here in Whitehorse at The News telling stories about the Yukon's people, environment, and culture.
Read more