A snowy December ride in 2019 turned serious for Travis Vaughan when his snowmobile crashed, leaving him critically injured in a field with a badly broken leg. Travis called 911, but eventually the cold won out, and his phone died. Though he was bleeding profusely and in pain, he refused to give up and started crawling home, his dog by his side the whole time.
He eventually made it home, where his wife, Jenn, called for help and his brother, Tyler, made a tourniquet to stop the bleeding from his leg. When paramedics arrived, they stabilized Travis and rushed him to the Ornge air ambulance. The helicopter couldn’t land due to rough terrain, so they met him on the nearby road. Every moment mattered.
At The Ottawa Hospital’s Trauma Centre, a skilled team led by Dr. Allan Liew awaited. Multiple surgeries were performed, including a complex bone graft by Dr. Geoff Wilkin, using bone from Travis’ pelvis.
The road to recovery was tough, but with family support and the hospital’s excellent care, Travis defied the odds. He learned to walk again, and in October 2021, their life took a joyful turn – Travis and his wife welcomed their daughter. Today, chasing his daughter is a reminder of the night he almost lost it all and the exceptional care that saved him.
When the new campus opens, it will include Eastern Ontario’s Regional Trauma Centre and will be the most advanced of its kind. A rooftop heliport with high-speed elevators will lead directly to Trauma Services, saving critical minutes for patients like Travis, and the State-of-the-art design and technology will attract more of the world’s best doctors, nurses, researchers, and educators.
