Lorie Burke and her husband Brian were preparing for another Christmas holiday surrounded by family and friends. The pair had lived in Wasaga Beach for 24 years and had made several friends in their tight-knit community. Lorie was also excited to spend time with her daughter, who had just announced she was pregnant. However, a catastrophic crash led to Lorie being transported by Ornge and needing all the help she could get from family and friends. 

It was December 28, 2024, and Lorie and her husband were on their way to their daughter’s home to spend some time together and celebrate Christmas. Seven minutes into their drive, there was a loud crash, and the car had spun around and was on the shoulder. Brian, who was driving, was completely unharmed, but when he looked over at Lorie, he could tell she was seriously hurt.

“Brian reached over and put his hand on my leg, and he said, ‘are you okay?’ and I said, ‘no, I don’t think I am’,” said Lorie. “I had zero pain, but I had a very weird aura over my chest and in my head. I felt like I was almost out of body, it was a little weird. I felt this really weird pressure in my chest, but I did not feel any of my breaks, wounds, nothing - I felt nothing.”

Paramedics and firefighters arrived on scene and had to cut Lorie out of the vehicle and then load her into the ambulance. 

Lorie was rushed to Collingwood Marine and General Hospital, where the extent of her injuries was truly discovered by attending physician Dr. Chisolm and his team. In total, Lorie had suffered eight fractures and two very large lacerations, one of which would possibly lead to her right foot being amputated. Lorie’s injuries were so intense that clinical staff called for an Ornge transport right away. 

“I had a fractured foot, a broken tibia and fibula. I had a massive wound that cut around three-quarters just above my ankle that almost severed my foot. I had a broken knee, a completely severed PCL (posterior cruciate ligament), a broken hip, and a crushed pelvis. I had a 10 by 15-centimetre massive open gash on my right leg. I had a broken sternum, a broken clavicle, and one broken finger. My mouth was ripped apart, my teeth were smashed out and a slight concussion,” said Lorie. 

Lorie continued, “Once I got into the trauma bay, my husband, my brother and his wife were in the waiting room until the doctor came out with some answers as to where I was at and what I was doing and then my husband was allowed to come in and see me,” said Lorrie. “He was still in shock from it all.”

Lorie was transported to Sunnybrook Hospital as a complex trauma level two patient. Once her family heard the news that she would be transported, they rushed to their cars to make the drive to Toronto to meet her there. 

“I remember nothing until being in the chopper, the Orange medical staff in the back of the chopper with me woke me up and said, ‘Lorie, just want to let you know that we’re going to start the chopper and it’s very, very loud once the blades start, and I don’t want you startled.’ The only other thing I remember is opening my eyes and being in the back of the helicopter, and he said, ‘it’s okay, you can go back to sleep, just relax’,” said Lorie. “He woke me up again when we were landing to let me know that we were at Sunnybrook and that we would be landing and that again it might be a little bit louder.” 

Upon arrival at Sunnybrook, Lorie was assessed in the Air Transport Trauma unit and the surgical team was advised of her arrival. They immediately scheduled her for surgery the next morning. The doctors explained that they had planned to fix every fracture in Lorie’s body all at once in a single surgery. It was a team of four surgeons who would work on Laurie, including a surgeon who came in from their vacation to assist. Lorie’s first surgery was for 10 hours and was a difficult time for her husband and family to wait for news. The surgical team was successful in treating every break during those 10 hours. Lorie’s second surgery was on December 30 with the Plastic Surgical team to clean and close the wounds on her legs. The surgical team also installed a drain to help release the fluid in Lorie’s leg. Luckily, Lorie did not require an amputation. 

Lorie was hospitalized at Sunnybrook until January 23, where she had a family member by her side every single day. She was then stable enough to be transferred back to Collingwood Marine and General, where she spent another 10 days in the hospital. The Occupational Therapist, along with Lorie’s family, began to prepare for when Lorie would go home. 

“Healing at home is always the best medicine,” said Lorie. 

Today, Lorie has regained the ability to walk with a knee brace and continues regular therapy. She returned to the fire station that extracted her from the vehicle and surprised them by saying thank you as it was important for her to let them know the vital role they played in getting her to the hospital quickly. The fire station staff were amazed to see Lorie and that she was walking. Lorie has also been able to be present for her family’s milestones. 

“I knew that in August I was going to be a grandmother and that I had to push and be here for my daughter. My goal was to be able to walk in August into her delivery room, and I did it with just a knee brace. I walked in there!” said Lorie. 

Lorie acknowledges and thanks the transport crew for their timely, professional, and expert care. She also appreciated the notice Ornge sent that she was given blood products while on board. Ornge carries blood products on board all their assets as another vital life saving measure our crews can utilize to care for our patients. 

“I got a letter in the mail saying that had given me a blood transfusion which amazed me,” said Lorrie. “To the transport crew, thank you for the job you do, the hours put in, the care you put into the patients that you transport, making them the most predominant part of your day at that point in time and the fact that you got me there so fast in a trauma situation I truly believed helped save my life,” said Lorie.

The care and compassion of the Ornge pilots, paramedics and Operations Control Centre staff did not go unnoticed and were key in making Lorie’s transport and the following updates a patient-centred journey in line with our values. Lorie, her husband, and friends and family all share the sentiment that without Ornge, Lorie’s journey could have ended very differently. 

“You live your life never thinking that you are going to need that, and when you do, oh my, it brings tears to my eyes. When I think about the fact that they got there and had me transported so fast, I’m beyond grateful for team Ornge! I feel very grateful that we have such a fantastic team like Ornge saving lives every single day!” said Lorie. 
 
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• Patients and Families