Brotherhood in Tragedy: A Documentary

[00:00:00] Bulldozer: Did you ever see that? That cartoon, that car bears? That’s Vincent. He’s a car Bear

[00:00:10] Eugene: can ask for a better person than that.

[00:00:12] Bulldozer: Yeah, he is a good guy. He

[00:00:13] Eugene: takes care of his friends.

[00:00:15] Vince: I used to take the bus to work and that was like a good two hour trip. My buddy Dave was working in a shop too, needed money one day and he turned around and he said, he goes, you wanna buy a motorcycle?

[00:00:25] Sure. And that’s where the love affair with riding began. [00:00:30]

[00:00:30] Pete: I was working in stores, he was working the hydraulic shop and he used to come in every day, get the parts he needed, and we just grew a friendship from there.

[00:00:41] Vince: I’ve done, um, components for helicopters and I’ve worked on many different types.

[00:00:47] Pete: We used to go, we used to go all over down highway two, all the way up to Ock way, stopping at all the old antique stores, bike shops, whatever, anything that was interesting.

[00:00:57] Vince: It’s the open air. It’s the feeling [00:01:00] of just on your own, done. It almost feels like a meditation and not a care in the world. Even though you’re raising funds for charity, you, you’re out riding with your friends, having a blast.

[00:01:10] Pete: You’re always watching it for some idiot who might cut you off and kill you.

[00:01:15] You just watch out for each other. It,

[00:01:17] Vince: it is kinda like finding if found the family you belong to.

[00:01:23] Pete: We used to go out. We used to go ride and go out for lunch. Now just ride around How Glen,

[00:01:29] Vince: [00:01:30] well, since the accident being stuck in a wheelchair and losing a leg and the use of one arm, um, yeah, you can’t do that anymore.

[00:01:37] Can’t exactly go crawling around aircraft either. I thought I’d be able to go back to work in some capacity, and it turns out the only thing I, I can do in my former job is drink coffee. That’s it.[00:02:00]

[00:02:00] Yeah, I put about 80,000 miles on that bike.

[00:02:04] Jeff: One day you’re out riding your bike.

[00:02:07] Vince: It was a nice sunny day.

[00:02:09] Jeff: Doing what you enjoy after finishing work.

[00:02:14] Vince: It’s a bit of a strange intersection.

[00:02:17] Vince is coming this direction

[00:02:19] and the curve has to right away. This is the way the intersection looks now after the city went in and made the change.

[00:02:25] As a couple days after my

[00:02:26] accident,

[00:02:27] Jeff: this is where Vince came around [00:02:30]

[00:02:30] Vince: and I come into the curve. Start over. I could see the truck.

[00:02:35] Jeff: That’s the actual truck.

[00:02:36] Vince: The guy driving the transport truck, I realized at the last second he wasn’t following the curve

[00:02:42] Jeff: trucks coming from here, and his intention was to go across the line of traffic.

[00:02:50] Vince: I tried to lean a little harder without causing the bike to throw me to try and pass behind him,

[00:02:58] Jeff: and that’s where the collision occurred. [00:03:00]

[00:03:00] Vince: And, uh. It’s a good thing. I tried that ’cause I wound up impacting the wheels on the trailer,

[00:03:06] Jeff: sucked into these wheel wheel well

[00:03:09] Vince: spinning so fast. It was like a strobe light

[00:03:12] Jeff: and then spat out

[00:03:15] Vince: because I, I didn’t know my leg was torn off.

[00:03:18] I, I could feel a lot of pain in my leg and I didn’t even know my arm was badly broken.

[00:03:23] The fire department was there, the ambulance was there. Mm-hmm. And then they called in the, uh, air ambulance, [00:03:30] which I’ve worked on, and, uh mm-hmm. Different, different feeling to be a passenger on it. And then the last thing I remember from that is I’m putting the mask over my face.

[00:03:55] Bulldozer: Well, I was in a, a snowmobile accident December [00:04:00] 25th, 2011. We had spoke to a lawyer in Thunder Bay and he basically said that I didn’t have a case. So we drove to Thunder or drove down to Toronto. I met with Jeff Presler and he said, I don’t know what that lawyer in Thunder Bay was telling you, but uh, yeah, we’ve got a case.

[00:04:25] The guy that you’re sitting across stable right now. Is because [00:04:30] Jeff Presler got me the best care, and to me that’s a lawyer that gives a shit.

[00:04:38] Vince: My brother had been talking with Bulldozer on the phone and Bulldozer told him about Jeff and said, no, he’s very good, even though he’s in Toronto. So my brother made the call on my behalf.

[00:04:49] I’m in a hospital, I’ve got no access to a phone. I couldn’t even use a phone. And with Bulldozer’s recommendation that Jeff. Looks after you very well. [00:05:00] That was enough for me.

[00:05:06] Pete: The day before on the news I had seen, and it wasn’t, it didn’t show much. I just seen a lot of flashing lights. It was dark out, and they said, uh, there was a collision between the truck and a motorcycle. I’m, I remember sitting there thinking, holy fuck, man, that’s not gonna end well. And then the next day I found out that it was Vince,

[00:05:25] Vince: my brother, got a hold of one of them, and, uh.

[00:05:28] Apparently it spread like wildfire through [00:05:30] the, uh, the club that, yeah, that bad accident was me,

[00:05:35] Pete: jumped on my bike, went down to the hospital, asked where he was. They basically said he is down that way. I went down there, the doctor stopped me and said, who are you? I said, nevermind who I am. I wanna see my friend.

[00:05:47] Vince: I remember your, he was a shadow leaning over me and figures in the background is all I remember.

[00:05:53] Bulldozer: Yeah. ’cause it was only me that was in the ICU room with you that day.

[00:05:58] Vince: Huh. Wow. That explains your [00:06:00] shadows in the background.

[00:06:01] Bulldozer: Well,

[00:06:01] Eugene: I first saw him, it was hard to see him ’cause it was just like I IV drips from one wall to the other right behind him.

[00:06:08] So it was all I saw was sticking out. It was a beard

[00:06:13] Pete: and he was lying there and it’s like, holy fuck man. The first thing I said was, bud, didn’t I teach you better not to run into things? But, uh, yeah, man, that was, uh, that was heartbreaking actually. I knew that everything that we had done in the [00:06:30] past was over

[00:06:33] Vince: that, that helped me a lot.

[00:06:35] Them coming in to visit. Even the, um, the tlers came up all the way from, uh, Toronto and, uh, yeah, I spent a long time in the ICU many weeks.

[00:06:51] I think I was in the hospital of three and a half months and then I was cleared enough that I could leave, [00:07:00] but I ended up going to a place called the the Rito Purley, which is a veteran’s place, but they also have a wing open to the public. And that’s where I was able to start my, uh, my rehabilitation to learn how to move again and everything.

[00:07:16] Jeff: I look at these cases as the priority should always be getting better from whatever injuries you have.

[00:07:29] Vince: [00:07:30] Well, with Jeff, he started the process of my rehabilitation by getting me case manager, occupational therapist, rehab specialist, all of it. ’cause without that. No, I wouldn’t have made it.

[00:07:45] Jeff: It’s not just physical.

[00:07:46] There’s this psychological component too, which is very real and often more severe than the broken bones.

[00:07:56] Vince: I was told that if I had any more surgeries, I [00:08:00] could lose the hip, which means I would never be able to sit. I’d be in a bed when I was in retirement home and. We were trying to figure out why I, why I, I had a, a low grade fever.

[00:08:18] It was my body rejecting the plate in my hip. And when I was getting ready for bed that night, my leg actually split open and I called the nurses and I told them that [00:08:30] my, my leg just exploded. There’s stuff everywhere. I had a kitchenette in the, the apartment I was in and I was going across the floor ’cause I was gonna slit my throat from ear to ear.

[00:08:42] I’m not gonna live laying in a bed. Not gonna happen.

[00:08:46] Pete: I didn’t know at the time. He told me much later and I say, well, I’m glad you didn’t bud.

[00:08:51] Vince: And the nurses actually come through the door at that time before I could get over there.

[00:08:56] Bulldozer: His life was almost yanked out from underneath of us. [00:09:00]

[00:09:00] Vince: As it turns out, after the surgery and everything else, they didn’t have to take hardly anything out.

[00:09:07] Pete: It may not be the right thing to say, but he would’ve disappointed a lot of friends, you know, because like I said, I know Vince and he is one of the strongest, toughest guys I know.

[00:09:17] Vince: So it’s kind of nice. The nurses move real fast because they’ve been 30 seconds slower. I had already been in the kitchen and ended it.

[00:09:27] I was not gonna live laying in a bed in my life, no [00:09:30] way.

[00:09:33] Had to go back to the hospital again. Mm-hmm. Spent another month in a bed, lost all the muscle mass I’d built up, and again, had to start that all over again.

[00:09:45] Pete: So I Holy crow man. Give the guy a break.

[00:09:50] Vince: If you told me I was gonna get mental health therapy before my accident, I probably would’ve laughed at you.

[00:09:56] This accident literally tore my mind apart [00:10:00] in more ways than one, and it took four years, including, uh, six months of psychiatric, uh, help to get through this

[00:10:14] when we, we knew the day that I was coming home. Um, several of the motorcycle clubs said, well, how would you like to come home in style? Yeah. We had two police come down and, uh, they led the whole way, uh, out of Ottawa all the way back [00:10:30] here to home. So it was two Ottawa police, me and the van, and then about 40 motorcycles by, uh, following all the way.

[00:10:37] That was a nice feeling. Come home in style.

[00:10:44] I always thought a lawyer good. He’s gonna get me money from a settlement, but no, all the, the, the parts for me to recover and all the assistance I needed, he arranged all that, which I didn’t know a lawyer would do that.

[00:10:58] Jeff: Some people just say, right, tell me, I just [00:11:00] want money. Fine, I get it. I can do that.

[00:11:02] I’m very, very good at that. Some people say I wanna get better, so, well good. ’cause I can help you do that too. But I can’t fix people. I can’t solve all these problems. I can only do what the law allows us to do. And the law has many constraints too.

[00:11:24] Pete: You got, you got a nice chunk of cash, it’s gonna last him, but you know, still, how [00:11:30] do you, how do you replace a leg?

[00:11:33] You know what I mean?

[00:11:34] Jeff: He was fairly compensated within the system that we have. And most importantly, it provided him with a future that was secure.

[00:11:46] Vince: It, it was a substantial amount of money, but I set that solely aside my account to just continue with my recovery.

[00:11:54] Jeff: He’s never getting his leg back, right?

[00:11:58] Never being, there’s no, [00:12:00] uh, putting him back together again like Humpty Dumpty. It’s not never happening. That’s the cold, sad reality of these claims

[00:12:09] Vince: said I would gladly give all the money back to get my leg and motorcycle back. Plus the fact that I, I miss what I was doing for a living ’cause I really enjoyed it and the guys I was working with, the guys I worked with for years and get along with great.

[00:12:25] And now that’s all gone.[00:12:30]

[00:12:31] I’ve been mostly independent on my life now, having to rely on people and that really hit, hit me mentally pretty hard. In the beginning I thought, okay, I just have to learn how to live with only one leg. And

[00:12:48] Eugene: taking down dishes is a difficult for ’em. Uh, making supper is difficult and it, trying to get around is difficult.

[00:12:56] Vince: Well, before the accident, I go get up in the morning, go have [00:13:00] my shower and that, and I’m done with in 20 minutes. Now it’s an hour.

[00:13:03] Jeff: It affects families and family members in a very profound manner.

[00:13:09] Eugene: Yeah. Um, yeah, it has been, uh, that I’m, I’m on antidepressants now because of it. I’ve been since about, uh, four months after the accident.

[00:13:25] Vince: He has done a lot. It [00:13:30] just, if I was on my own, I wouldn’t have made it, but with my brother there helping out. Yeah. Having a dog is a great help for stress relief too, you know, just looking after him and he’s always by my side and that just makes me feel better, which is good. I was always gonna get a dog when I retired, and um, that just happened to happen a lot sooner than I thought.

[00:13:56] Hey, buddy.[00:14:00]

[00:14:00] I said I always wanted to retire earlier in life, but not like this. This is not the answer, but we’re trying to make the best of what we got and trying to make it work.

[00:14:12] Pete: I mean, we used to go ride with the club and everything, and I basically cut all that out. I just, it’s just not the same. I mean, it’s gonna sound stupid.

[00:14:20] It’s kinda like, well, no, it’s not. It, it’s, it’s like losing a brother, you know? You know you’re riding along and you look over and he is not there. [00:14:30]

[00:14:32] Vince: Yeah, I was not prepared for everything that’s involved in, in recovering from an accident like this and everything I needed, uh, Jeff and his team provided.

[00:14:44] Bulldozer: I’m telling you, you, there’s no more professional than Jeff. Well, he’ll even tell you. I’m not just a client. We’ve got a friendship

[00:14:56] Vince: and dealing with Jeff is like dealing with a long-term friend. [00:15:00] It, it is that ease and comfort, uh, dealing with him.

[00:15:04] Bulldozer: He’s different. The whole firm’s different.

[00:15:07] Jeff: Every case that I do, I’ve done everything I can, um, to make sure that, um, my clients are as successful as possible based on the things that we can control.[00:15:30]

[00:15:31] Vince: In the beginning, I, I figured I, I’ve got two ways to look at this, try and figure out how to adapt to this life or just give up, which means I, I wouldn’t live that long if I just gave up. I’d die in the hospital bed. I didn’t think it would take this. I’m still trying to adapt to this life, and it’s not easy.

[00:15:51] It’s a daily struggle. I’m trying my best so far. It’s working.

[00:15:56] Bulldozer: At Christmas time, Vincent was always the [00:16:00] first one to make sure the biggest donations came in. Even after he got hurt, he was still the first one. That truck driver didn’t take all the spirit

[00:16:09] Vince: good gut him I ever resilient. I, I’ve realized I’ve got an inner strength.

[00:16:16] I didn’t know I had. I can put up with a lot. I can cope with a lot, but at the same time, I’ve learned that it’s okay to reach out and ask for help. You’re not gonna be able to do it on your [00:16:30] own. So when people offer support, you know, family, friends, professionals, whatever, take it. But don’t ever be afraid to ask for help.

[00:16:39] It’s not a sign of weakness.

[00:16:41] Pete: Mm-hmm. You know what, if I need it, Vince tomorrow, and I called him, he’d be here for me and vice versa. That’s what friendship is. You know, you need me, I’m there for you, period. ’cause without friends, what do you got? You know,

[00:16:58] Jeff: he’s one of my favorite [00:17:00] people. Um, he’s just a great person.

[00:17:02] Even, even the defense lawyers was blown away by Vince and his presentation.

[00:17:11] Vince: I said, on your own. No, it’s not easy with a lot of support from family and friends, it’s. It is a lot easier to do,

[00:17:21] Pete: but there’s more to life than riding a bike and I’m always gonna be there for him. And that’s it.

[00:17:26] Bulldozer: Vince isn’t going anywhere.

[00:17:28] He’s always gonna be [00:17:30] my guy.

[00:17:37] Vince: I’ve always had a bad sense of humor and I looked at my brother and I said, I got the pirate costume set for Halloween now. Well, my brother turned around and he goes, I got a better idea. What? We’ll put you in a pink leotard. You can be a flamingo. Come here, I’m gonna choke you. Come here. Well, my brother, there he goes.

[00:17:55] When someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, just look at them and go, I’m stumped. [00:18:00] The grocery store I go to has a lot of handicapped parking at the front, which is great, but I got there one day. Open up the side door. My wheelchair’s coming out and I’m stand. I can stand. And this lady looks at me, she goes, I don’t think you need a wheelchair, if you can stand.

[00:18:17] I looked at her, how many legs do I have? Let me give you a hint.