'It seemed like a nightmare': Survivor of crash that killed 4 teens recovering in Winnipeg hospital
The mother of a 15-year-old girl recovering in hospital after a major car crash is thanking the first responders who pulled her from the wreckage.
Tanya Yurkiw says her 15-year-old daughter Hanna is a social butterfly with a smile that lights up the room.
Sitting at Health Sciences Centre Children's Hospital, Yurkiw explained while Hanna is in stable condition right now, she's only able to say a few words intermittently.
Yurkiw said she went to bed at her home in Dauphin Wednesday night after Hanna went out for a drive with friends.
She said she was woken by a friend knocking at her door around 11:00 p.m.
"I opened the door and he basically just swung the door open and yelled for my husband and said,' Hanna is trapped under a semi,'" recalled Yurkiw.
Yurkiw immediately left to go to the collision on Provincial Road 274 near Gilbert Plains, where RCMP say the car Hanna was a passenger in hit the trailer of a semi heading east on Highway 5.
While on the way to the crash, Yurkiw said she was able to reach Hanna on her phone.
"And she answered the phone, and all she said was, 'mommy, I need you, please come and get me.'"
Once at the scene, Yurkiw was stuck watching first responders try to pull her daughter out from under the semi-truck for an hour and a half.
"It seemed like a nightmare. Like a scene from a movie," said Yurkiw. "It's everything possible that you can never imagine and think you'd come across."
Yurkiw said Hanna is on heavy pain medication and is mostly sleeping, only waking up to say a few words or to grab a quick drink.
The other four people in the car, 17-year-old Riley Robak, 17-year-old Le Rouxan Niemann, 18-year-old Alexandra Watt and 18-year-old driver Christopher Swintak, are all dead.
"I grew up in Gilbert. My husband grew up in Gilbert. We both went to school in Gilbert. We know what it's like to come from a small town. My heart is going out back home," said Yurkiw.
Yurkiw said her thoughts are with the other families and is thankful for the first responders who helped her daughter.
"I think it's important to mention the firefighters, the paramedics, everybody there that night was truly amazing. My heart goes out to them as well. It wouldn't have been easy," she said.
Yurkiw said she's also thankful for all of the support the family is receiving.
She added she hasn't had a chance to tell Hanna what happened or about the other people in the car.
RCMP say it is continuing to investigate the crash. It said the driver of the semi-truck was not injured, and Mounties are not contemplating charges against him.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
BREAKING Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.