As Jordan Camille recovers in hospital, a GoFundMe campaign has started to help alleviate the impact of yesterday's CN train incident in Kamloops.
Jordan, a father of three young boys, is a contract range rider, according to his wife, Candice.
When people spotted malnourished horses near Rayleigh this weekend, Jordan was "called on to go out and cowboy," she says.
He went out Sunday morning with his horse Rory, staying in contact with Candice often, because that's what he usually did.
"He was phoning me throughout the morning; he told me where he was at," she tells KamloopsMatters.
He called her at one point to say he'd found one of the horses. Then there was a 25-minute period before the last call she got from him.
"He called to say he just woke and didn't know where he was," Candice says. "Then he hung up the phone on me."
She figured her husband had been thrown from Rory somehow and was injured on the ground. She called 911 to report the incident, and told them to look for Rory, since she was certain the horse wouldn't leave Jordan's side.
Then Candice went out to search herself.
"I told 911 that I would go out to the highway to look," she says. "It wasn't until I got closer that I realized there was more involved."
Rory and Jordan had been hit by a CN train near Rayleigh around 10:35 a.m. Sunday (Jan. 12). Jordan had been thrown off Rory, and was injured. Rory was declared dead at the scene by authorities.
"It was just a horrendous accident," Candice says.
Jordan is stable and is recovering in hospital.
"They are just managing his pain and keeping an eye on his kidneys," she says. "He's got body bruises, a broken shoulder blade and a lacerated kidney; he had a severe concussion but that's doing better."
Rory was a family horse for the Camilles, and was turning six. The pair run Camilles Horsemanship, where they train riders and sell horses.
"Our livelihood is all in our horses; we're full-time horse people," Candice says. "Rory definitely played a huge role, and helped create who we are at Camille Horsemanship."
She hopes to build a tribute to Rory once Jordan is home from the hospital. He was the horse one of their young sons, five-year-old Hunter, had started riding.
"He's still processing this," she says of Hunter.
A GoFundMe has been launched by a family friend to help the Camilles in the coming weeks and months. The money will be used to help with Jordan's recovery and keep them afloat in the meantime. To donate, click HERE.
