Wheat City man honoured for efforts to save girl trapped in vehicle
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/12/2010 (5594 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Abebe Yohannes will never forget the fiery collision he was involved in on Oct. 12, 2007.
In Winnipeg on Thursday, the RCMP showed they didn’t forget his acts of bravery after the crash.
The Brandonite received the Commanding Officer’s Certificate of Appreciation, recognizing his efforts to save a young girl trapped in an SUV engulfed in flames after a three-vehicle collision.
"I came to Canada (from Ethiopia), and this is the most honourable thing that’s ever happened to me in Canada," Yohannes said after he attended the ceremony with his wife, Damot Hailu, at the RCMP’s D Division headquarters in Winnipeg.
"I don’t actually deserve it because Canada’s done so much for me in my life. I came here as an immigrant and I’m so very proud and honoured to receive this."
While pleased to receive the award, the fiery crash scene — and what he saw there — haunts him still. He was driving on the Trans-Canada Highway in Headingley when he was hit from behind by another vehicle and became involved in the horrific crash that killed two people — Wayne Adair, 41 and Serena Adair, 37, the parents of Ainsley, the girl who was saved.
"We couldn’t save the husband and wife in the front seats because they were trapped," Yohannes said.
"We broke the back window. We had no choice. The girl was in the back seat. … You know, it all happened within six minutes. I was the one to call 911, then we tried to save the people as fast as we could."
"The flames shot up six feet, man. That was scary. You do whatever you can then, but eventually a police officer took us aside and said we had done all we could do to save the others. Everybody cried. It was painful to watch."
For months after the crash, Yohannes couldn’t drive, and didn’t talk about what he had witnessed.
Thursday’s interview with the Brandon Sun was the first time he has spoken to the media about the events surrounding those fateful minutes.
"Within 10 minutes, it was like I went into a nightmare and somebody’s dead inside a vehicle and the burning SUV," Yohannes said. "It’s horrible. Horrible. I couldn’t describe it to you. You don’t know what to say. You don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t look real. You can’t believe it."
RCMP Sgt. Line Karpish said the incident was, "life-changing for these people."
"I suspect it was for everyone involved," Karpish said. "It was tough for everyone involved. Their biggest struggle was rather than focusing on the life they saved, their focus was on the ones they couldn’t get at. It’s deeply rooted. It’s traumatic and you do the best you can under the circumstances."
After the ceremony, one recipient told Karpish they couldn’t understand why they were being recognized because they were just standing there.
"What are you talking about?" Karpish replied. "You weren’t just standing there. You should be proud of this. They don’t just give this to people that just stand there."
RCMP Const. Alfred Lavallee and three members of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles — master warrant officer Hamish Seggie, warrant officer Shaun Spence and Sgt. Joseph Penman — joined civilians Joseph Henry of Winnipeg, Herman Zarbl of Winnipeg and Blair Hockin of Portage la Prairie as recipients of the Commissioner’s Commendation for Bravery for their actions during the collision. Their awards were handed out by RCMP commissioner William Elliott.
Like Yohannes, Jacquie Hockin of Portage la Prairie also received the Commanding Officer’s Certificate of Appreciation. They received their awards from assistant commissioner Bill Robinson.
The actions Yohannes took that day will earn him another commendation. Yohannes said he will be headed to Ottawa to receive the Medal of Bravery from the Governor General on a date to be determined. The Governor General’s office’s announced in September that Yohannes will be among a group of 22 Canadians who will receive Medals of Bravery.
"We don’t know when that happens, and I don’t know if we will see (Ainsley) there," Yohannes said. "I hope, I wish that we do."