The passenger in an all-terrain vehicle that collided with a police car over the weekend has suffered extensive injuries and may not be able to walk for the rest of his life, the man's mother said Wednesday.
However, it looks like Jason Parlby will live said Teresa Balatti of her son.
"For the first 48 hours they didn't think he was going to make it but things are looking up," she said. "He actually wrote on a piece of paper that 'I just want this tube out to be able to talk and I'm so thirsty and I love you.'"
Parlby was transported to Vancouver General Hospital following the collision early Sunday morning on Northwood Pulpmill Road, between Clubhouse and Noranda Roads.
The Independent Investigations Office, which investigates police related deaths and serious injuries, has been called in.
Other than he was the passenger in a side-by-side ATV driven by one of his best friends, Balatti said she does not know any details of the accident. She declined to provide the driver's name but did say it appears he survived the collision with minor injuries.
She said Parlby has gone through one surgery so far, where pins were put in his spine to deal with a crushed vertebrae.
"They, at this point, don't know if he's going to walk again or not," Balatti said.
Both of his shoulder blades are broken as are his clavicle and an arm and he has a lacerated lung and a brain injury.
"And they don't know the full extent of everything or even how long he's going to have to be here but they did say he's going to need a lot of rehab," Balatti said.
The 25-year-old Parlby is the father of an 18-month old girl with his common law wife, Kalie McLachlan, and the couple have a baby on the way. He was in the last year of an apprenticeship for a journeyman mechanic ticket but the injuries have put all that in doubt.
"Only time will tell," Balatti said over her cellphone as she held back sobs.
The family will meet with doctors today to get an update on his condition. They will also plan next steps, which will likely include a fundraising effort. They would like to raise enough money to allow someone to stay in Vancouver while Parlby is recovering.
"We don't want to leave him alone...he needs that emotional and psychological support," Balatti said.
The family also faces the challenge of makings ends meet with Parlby unable to earn an income, Balatti added.
