Mum has leg ripped off by truck – but says it’s helped her see the positives in life

Amelie in hospital and now
Amelie in hospital and now (Picture: SWNS)

Amelie Chouinard was resting at the side of a road during a motorbike ride when a truck hit her.

It ripped her leg off just below the knee and broke her arm in 15 places, throwing her into a ditch.

From there, she called her partner Tyler Hrycyk, 25, who was driving nearby with their baby Milo, who was just four months old at the time.

Amelie, of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, said: ‘When the truck hit me, it chopped my leg off right away.

‘The doctor said it looked like I had stepped on a bomb.’

Amelie was riding her motorbike on Highway 897, 20 minutes outside Cold Lake, Alberta, on May 30 when she pulled over to the side of the road to rest at around 7 pm.

She said: ‘I have been biking for over five years. It was my passion.

Amelie Chouinard with Tyler Hrycyk and Milo
Amelie with Tyler and Milo (Picture: Amelie Chouinard/SWNS)

‘I was resting on the side of the road when I got hit by the truck.

‘My leg was gone from the moment I got hit.’

As she called Tyler, he rushed to help as Amelie fought to stay awake.

Amelie explained: ‘At first I was screaming because I couldn’t believe what had happened.

‘But I think that I knew I needed to stay calm if I wanted to get through this.

‘I didn’t want to talk.

‘I told my boyfriend that I was okay.’

Amelie Chouinard with Milo in hospital
Amelie with Milo in hospital (Picture: Amelie Chouinard / SWNS)

Tyler, who is also a supply technician in the military, tore off a part of his shirt to use as a tourniquet on Amelie’s leg to stop the bleeding.

She was taken by helicopter to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton, where she had surgery to stop the bleeding.

‘A few days later, I was more awake and that’s when I realized my leg was gone,’ she said.

‘I was angry at first.

‘I was crying, but I had good support around me.’

Amelie stayed in hospital for two months to recover from the accident, but she missed her baby terribly.

She said: ‘My left arm was broken so I wasn’t really able to hold him.

‘I saw him every day but I didn’t see him at night.

‘It was hard not to be home with them and be there to feed my baby.’

Amelie Chouinard in her wheelchair with a running number on the back
Amelie says it has helped her see the positive (Picture: Amelie Chouinard/SWNS)

Amelie moved into a house for military personnel before returning home and starting physiotherapy with her prosthetic leg in September.

She said: ‘I do physio every day for an hour.

‘At first, it was more about building up my strength and then I started walking by holding on to bars.

‘I had a trial leg to help me learn how to walk. It is challenging.

‘I can walk now but I still need a cane to help me get around.

‘Dressing can sometimes be challenging, it’s hard to put pants on.

Amelie Chouinard with prosthetic
Amelie with her prosthetic (Picture: Amelie Chouinard/SWNS)

‘Carrying my baby around is difficult because I don’t want to fall with him. Even taking a shower is really hard.’

Now five months on, Amelie is learning to live with her amputation and is slowly able to do more and more.

‘It is getting better,’ she said.

‘As bad as it was, the accident is making me see a lot more of the positives in life.

‘I am grateful I survived. I am learning to live day by day and enjoy it.’

But Amelie hopes to get a high-tech prosthetic which will help her live an athletic lifestyle as an amputee.

She said: ‘We are going to order a microprocessor knee.

‘It has sensors and it makes it easier to move around.

‘Then later, I’ll probably get a blade to go running.

‘I want to train for sports and maybe go snowboarding next year. I won’t let what happened stop me from exercising.’

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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/11/mum-leg-ripped-off-truck-says-helped-see-positives-life-11079266/
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