Jake Tiefengraber says he's lucky to be alive after being struck by a truck near Cochrane one week ago in a hit and run.
It happened last Wednesday on Highway 1A near Township Road 260 at around 7 p.m.
"We were driving from Cochrane to Calgary. I was going to pick up something off of Kijiji, and there was a deer that someone else had hit and it just kind of landed right in front of our car. We didn't really have time to react, so we ran over top of it and pulled over right away. We were the third car pulled over on the shoulder so there were a couple other guys behind us already with their hazards on. I was in the passenger seat so I got out saw coolant everywhere. I went around to the driver's side and just popped the hood. My girlfriend was just waiting in the driver's seat. And then I got back to the front drivers area. And that's about as much as I remember."
"That's when I got struck in the back by this pickup truck. I was unconscious. I have a little memory of the ambulance and then I remember waking up in the hospital a few hours later. In the meantime, I flew about 15 feet in a ditch went into a series of seizures. My girlfriend helped me through the seizures and called 911 and dealt with all that stuff."
Tiefengraber says the truck didn't stop.
"They didn't even touch the brake pedal. Just kept rolling. Not even stop for a minute to realize what happened and kept going. They just kept going."
Cochrane RCMP have asked anyone with information about the Dodge pickup truck involved to contact them at 403-851-8000 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
The 25-year-old Cochrane man shattered his ankle and is awaiting reconstructive surgery.
Jake and his girlfriend Christine McColl (photo courtesy Jake Tiefengraber)"I'm pretty blessed all things considered, trying to just stay positive about it because it could have been a lot worse."
Tiefengraber, who works at Cochrane Dodge in the accounting department, says it was horrifying for his girlfriend to witness him be thrown into the air.
"She thought I was going to be a lot worse off than I was. I mean, I think everybody did. Even the hospital was pretty surprised when the guy who got hit in the back
by a pickup truck showed up to the hospital speaking and, awake at the time. It's been really difficult for her. She's the toughest person I know and she's not letting on as bad as she feels. Just a really amazing person. She's been caring for me 24/7 and just putting my needs in front of her own even though I know she's upset and having a hard time sleeping."
The 10-year Cochrane resident considers himself fortunate to have benefits and to work for an understanding employer. However, he finds himself in a situation where he is unable to drive, walk, or go to the gym, and anticipates being bedridden for at least a month, putting his life on hold.
"It's gonna be about eight weeks after surgery. Surgery is a week and a bit after I got hit, so nine to 10 weeks before I'm out of the cast and putting weight on the ankle. And then I assume there's going to be quite a long physio process as well."
Tiefengraber says "My work has been amazing and got me set up on benefits to take care of me."
Mon, Apr 29, 6:00 PM
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