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a b.c. crash victim's message to frustrated drivers: 'there's a very human factor behind a traffic jam'
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jehan jiwa at her home in burnaby on march 31.
arlen redekop
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jehan jiwa understands why frustrated motorists complained on social media sunday about being stranded on the sea to sky highway after it was shut down for seven hours by a serious accident south of whistler.
in response to the complaints, though, she is reminding people to be patient, because there were others having an even worse day: those injured in the crash.
she would know. in january 2023, her father’s car was struck near squamish by a vehicle that veered into their lane, leaving jiwa with a long list of debilitating injuries from which she is still trying to recover today.
“always keep in mind that there’s a very human factor behind a traffic jam,” she said tuesday. “maybe it derails a couple of hours or a day of (a stranded driver’s) life. but for the people involved in the accident, their life will never be the same again.”
jehan jiwa in hospital after a car accident on the sea to sky highway. handout photograph
at 3:30 p.m. on sunday, two vehicles collided near daisy lake road, roughly half way between squamish and whistler. one person with serious injuries was airlifted to hospital, and two others were taken by ambulance in stable condition, paramedic spokesman brian twaites said.
the highway was closed in both directions for seven hours, while police investigated the crash.
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on the sea to sky road conditions facebook site, stranded motorists vented about the closure, offered to share water and food, and asked for help to boost dead batteries.
the site’s administrator, matthew paugh, shared a petition that calls for increased enforcement of speed limits along the sea to sky route, as well as improved communication about highway shutdowns. he argued the highway needs improvements, such as more divided lanes, since it was last upgraded for the 2010 olympics.
“yesterday’s incident is another example of the risks on this highway,” paugh posted on monday. “for those complaining: you got home tonight. others did not.”
when asked whether serious accidents have increased on the popular route, b.c. highway patrol cpl. michael mclaughlin said the rcmp was more focused on enforcement than gathering those types of statistics.
“from an anecdotal perspective, speed and serious collisions have been an issue on the sea to sky for decades, including ‘speed tourism’ from metro vancouver residents. fatalities and highway shutdowns actually got better after the 2010 highway redesign, but now there’s more traffic than ever,” mclaughlin said.
jiwa’s accident also closed the highway, on a quiet monday drive home from whistler with her dad three years ago. near britannia beach, south of squamish, she was concerned about an approaching car coming into their lane but thought it must be turning off the highway.
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instead, there was “an earthquake of a collision” that threw their car into the air. the passenger side was hit hardest. jiwa can remember struggling to breathe and trying to comfort her worried father, who had minor injuries.
she lost consciousness, awaking to the sounds of firefighters cutting the car open to get her out. she was airlifted to vancouver general hospital.
the three major bones in her right leg were shattered. her right hand was badly injured. five vertebrae were fractured, her liver was lacerated, a lung collapsed and she suffered extensive internal damage.
after two days on life support in the icu, she spent a month in hospital relearning how to breathe, eat and stand on her own. when she returned to her parents’ house, care aids attended to her wounds, bathed her and helped with other daily functions.
“that was really devastating, turning over all independence,” said jiwa, who was 34 at the time of the crash. “but it also acted as a huge motivator.”
after three years of physical therapy, she can now walk, cook and do other independent tasks but still suffers from chronic pain and digestive issues due to her internal injuries.
jehan jiwa at her home in burnaby, working to get strong enough to return to hockey. arlen redekop/postmedia news
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jiwa, who was an active hockey player before the crash, commits three hours a day to her rehabilitation and is determined to one day be strong enough to return to the game.
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“it’s really fuelling me to say, ‘let’s see if we can defy some odds here,’ ” the burnaby resident said. “it may be a long shot, but certainly it remains the goal.”
she spoke with postmedia news after seeing people complain online about why the mounties couldn’t speed up reopening the highway on sunday. from her perspective, a thorough investigation is the only potential justice for innocent victims.
however, in her case, the other driver was only given a $109 fine because there was no indication he was impaired or did anything intentional to cause the accident.
“that was a really big gut punch,” she said. “i nearly lost my life because of him. he has changed my life forever. and the only accountability is $109.”
when the accident happened, jiwa was working for the vancouver whitecaps as the team’s manager of community and social impact. she hopes to work again, although in a less physically demanding job.
she also wants to continue sharing her story, to encourage youth, athletes and others trying to recover from injuries.
“sometimes, when adversity hits, we can feel very alone, even if we have support around us. but i want those people to know you’re never alone. you know i’m cheering for you.”
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