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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-08-12, Page 3Wednesday, August 12, 2015 • Lucknow Sentinel 3 Cyclist Julie Sawchuk had worried Music in the Fields: By the Numbers about being hit by a car or truck Norman DeBono London Free Press His wife in intensive care in a London hospital with life -changing injuries, Theo Sawchuk is trying not only to make sense of it, but also to make some good come out of it. Julie Sawchuk isn't just an avid cyclist, athlete and mother of two: She's also an activist for the sport she loves. Just recently, the Wing - ham high-school biology teacher had written a letter to a local newspaper, advo- cating bicycle safety and imploring drivers to show cyclists more respect. Then, last Wednesday, Sawchuk was struck by a vehicle while cycling along a road in Huron County, north of London. She never got around to sending her letter to the paper in Blyth. Theo Sawchuk spent the holiday long weekend going back and forth to the hospital. But he also wants to pick up where his wife left off, getting out the safety message she never sent. "I have been going for sev- eral days now (to the hospi- tal), trying not to think about anything except what is going on with Julie, day-by- day," he said. "But I am angry about it, that Julie wrote her letter and this happened and that is why it is important we speak out. We have to take time to say something about this." Julie, 41, mother to Elea- nor, 12, and Oliver, 9, suf- fered a broken neck and bro- ken back. It's too soon to say what her life will be like now, but her husband calls the crash "life -altering." She will remain in inten- sive care at the London Health Sciences Centre for about two more weeks, said family members. Her husband said he's speaking out, because he wants to see cyclists treated with the same respect drivers give motor- ized vehicles — a wide berth, especially when passing. "The law states there must be a metre when passing the cyclist, which is not enough," said Theo Sawchuk. "You would not pass within a metre of a motorcy- cle. The car should cross the yellow line" when passing a cyclist, he added. The "psychological" fac- tor that makes it hard for drivers to move over for a bicycle, has to end, he said: "It is the way we drive, and legally and mor- ally we feel we are OK in our lane." It's also a municipal -plan- ning issue, with a need for communities to do a better job accomodating cyclists, he said. Some rural roads have wide, paved shoulders for farm equipment, making them equipped for cycling. But that's lacking in Huron County, said David Swift, Jul- ie's brother. "The wider shoulders make me feel a lot safer," he said. "I think she wants to raise awareness, she wants people to pay attention. They need to follow the law." Last Wednesday, Julie Sawchuk left her Blythe -area home for a two-hour bike ride, a 30 -kilometre loop training for the Goderich triathlon. Riding east on Highway 25 between Carlow and Auburn, she was struck from behind by a motorist, said Swift. A man from Ashfield-Col- borne-Wawanosh was charged, OPP say. "The back wheel was mangled, she was thrown forward into the air and ended up in the ditch," said Swift. Julie Sawchuk's letter, meant as a letter to the editor, described close calls she's had before as a rider — and how she feared exactly the kind of crash that's left her hospitalized. LEA E E KON Submitted Julie Sawchuk is in LHSC with a broken back and a broken neck. She suffered broken verte- brae in two places. One frag- ment is wedged into her spine, and the base of her skull is fractured. She had three -and -a -half hours of plastic surgery on her face and five hours of spinal surgery. "We are thankful she is alive," said Swift. "We don't know yet how serious the injuries are, but the helmet saved her life." FROM JULIE SAW- CHUK'S LETTER Close calls she described in the letter she never sent: • "While travelling east on Blyth Road (between Auburn and Blyth) I was passed by a transport truck so closely it made me scream. I was already on the white line on the right side of the road and this truck's rear tires were also touching the white line ... it scared me so much I could hardly think straight. It really frightened me." • Two other times when passing vehicles came close to striking her: "There are many reasons that this scary near -death experi- ence happened ... Drivers think they can get away with it — and don't know that killing a cyclist will send them to jail:' UPDATES: Go to forjulie.com Steven Goetz Kincardine News Every year, Lucknow's Music in the Fields gets big- ger and better. This year's event -- taking over town on Aug. 28 and 29 -- will see Canadian Dallas Smith headline the Friday night concert, while massively popular The Band Perry will headline on Saturday. Already sold out, this year's festival promises to bring business, traffic and fun to the area. We wanted to find out just how much, so we crunched the numbers: 75,000 - dollars the Luc - know and District Kinsmen have donated to Cystic Fibrosis Canada, the national charity of KinCan- ada since starting LMITF. 10,985 - likes on the LMITF Facebook page. 7,000 - weekend passes sold to this year's festival, up from 1,500 tickets sold in the first year. 5,000 - assessed value of a custom-built Cithara guitar being raffled off this year. It will be signed by all per- forming artists at this year's festival and all proceeds will be going to Cystic Fibrosis Canada. 4,072 - kilometres to Prince George, B.C., from M 1111MES * At The Bruce County Heritage Farm Show August 14,15,16 Paisley Dor: srTMMOI ;4.`f 1 t ill kid A Family Fun Event! Demonstrations, Exhibits, Good Food, Entertainment 2 km South of Pailsey on Country Rd.3 See you t www.bruceheritage.com where the furthest ticket sale was made this year. 1,503 - campsites sold for this year's festival, up from 200 in the first year. 1,500 - steel posts used to support over three miles of fencing, all driven in by hand by over 60 community - minded volunteers in about three hours. 837 - different postal codes from where tickets were sold to this year's festi- val, with many travelling from throughout Southern and Central Ontario, and plenty from Northern and Eastern Ontario as well. 600 - volunteers. Most are locals but the number of visi- tor volunteers continues to grow each year. 430 - tickets sold to people who said they were from Lucknow, approximately 40 per cent of the entire village. Imagine what a fundraiser in Toronto could do if they got the same response! 250 - port -a -potties distrib- uted throughout the camp- sites and festival grounds. 142 - length in feet of the new stage required to accom- modate The Band Perry. 100 - tickets donated to Canadian Forces troops and their families. Each year, one member represents the mili- tary by coming on stage to take the salute during the national anthem. 60 - days it took to sell out, the fastest pace of ticket sales yet. 51 - people who bought 10 or more tickets this year. 31 - sponsors that have generously supported this year's festival. 23 - date in June of the grand opening of the latest Kinsmen project: the refur- bished Victoria Park tennis and basketball courts. 21 - the largest single pur- chase of tickets...now that's a lot of friends! 20 - meet and greets with each artist, many set aside for sponsors and contest win- ners, but some also given away throughout the festival. 12 - bus stops where festival - goers can get a lift to and from campsites or into downtown Lucknowwhere stores will have extended hours and patrons can win prizes. Buses provided by Montgomery Bus Lines. 10 - out -of -province tick- ets sold, with visitors from British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 7 - years since the festival's founding. 574,086 - dollars the Luc - know and District Kinsmen has distributed since the inception of Lucknow's Music in the Fields. COMING SOON HOMETOWN HARVEST Featuring everything Agriculture and our Rural Roots. Advertisers To be a part of this upcoming special feature, contact your local Sun Media Sales Representative. Booking Deadline • 2p.m. August 25.