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Drivers stop to aid motorcyclist after crash near Morningside

Golfer claims he gave CPR to crash victim
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Nearby drivers were quick to come to the aid of a motorcyclist who hit the ditch on Thursday, July 22 on Highway 2A south of Secondary Highway 604 (the turnoff for Morningside).

Daniel McNabb and Mark Gacek, two of the people who rushed to assist the motorcyclist, were driving about 200 feet behind the motorcyclist when the male appeared to lose control of the bike.

According to McNabb, he was the first one on the scene and gave the motorcyclist CPR while Gacek called 911.

McNabb says the motorcyclist was coming off a “hairpin corner” and lost control, driving into the embankment and flipping three or four times before coming to a rest.

“It was crazy … I slid on my knees down the embankment … I checked him,” said McNabb.

McNabb says the man appeared to be in his 60s.

He says he has previous first aid and CPR training.

McNabb says his friends are calling him a hero, but he thinks he just did what any good person would do.

McNabb, from Calgary, is staying in Ponoka while he competes at The Jungle Tour golf tournament at Wolf Creek Golf Resort.

EMS, the Lacombe Fire Department, and Ponoka RCMP members responded to the scene.

Ponoka RCMP received the report about the accident at 7:28 p.m.

When members arrived on the scene, the motorcycle driver was conscious and breathing.

According to the Ponoka RCMP, the incident was a single vehicle motorcycle collision. At this time, they don’t believe there were any contributing factors to the crash. The file is currently under investigation.

The STARS-3 air ambulance helicopter was dispatched from Edmonton at 8:33 p.m.

EMS escorted the injured motorcycle driver to the Ponoka Airport at 8:36 p.m. STARS landed at the airport at 8:45 p.m. and airlifted the patient to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton.

RCMP confirmed that McNabb and Gacek were witnesses to the scene and say there were several bystanders who came to give assistance to the motorcyclist, as they’d been driving close behind when it happened.

One of the bystanders had indicated they had first aid and CPR training, the RCMP file notes.



Emily Jaycox

About the Author: Emily Jaycox

I’m Emily Jaycox, the editor of Ponoka News and the Bashaw Star. I’ve lived in Ponoka since 2015 and have over seven years of experience working as a journalist in central Alberta communities.
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