A Calgary man is in desperate need of support after he was seriously injured in a car crash while on vacation with his family in Mexico.
Trevor Cockrell, his wife Renee and two children, Cooper and Marissa, were a five-minute drive away from their resort in Mazatlán on the night of Feb 16 when the taxi they were in was hit from behind on the highway.
While most of the family sustained minor bumps and bruises, Trevor wasn’t as lucky as he took the brunt of the crash sitting in the back seat. He suffered multiple broken bones, including 16 shattered ribs, severe internal bleeding and a collapsed lung.
The 55-year-old has since undergone three surgeries – one of which was a nine-hour procedure – and is set to finally return home to Calgary Thursday to reunite with his family members.
The Cockrell family’s insurance company, Greenshield Insurance, ultimately covered the medical trip home after an ongoing battle to request a medevac transport, but much more support is needed.
Both Trevor and Renee are self-employed, and these major injuries will set them back financially.
“Truly when they say something is unbelievable, this was that moment,” said family friend Stephanie Campbell.
“Being so far away from them and feeling so helpless, we knew we just had to step up as a community and try to help as much as we could.”
Campbell has since set up a GoFundMe campaign for the Cockrell family, which has received more than 350 donations of just over $63,000 as of Thursday afternoon.
She adds that the Cockrell family has given so much of themselves to their friends, clients, hockey, baseball and dance communities for several years and that they’ve never asked for anything in return.
“Immediately after the crash, one of the first things Trevor was worried about was who might be able to help with a hockey tournament he’s organized for years,” said Campbell.
“He was more concerned about his community and not himself. So, if you see a definition of people that are loyal, caring and just want to help people, then that is the Cockrell family.”
In a statement to CTV News, the Cockrells say they are “overwhelmed by the love and support” they received from friends, family and people they don’t even know.
“We never could have anticipated the outpouring of kindness we have experienced,” the statement read.
“The prayers, messages, and the time everyone has taken to check in on us mean the world. Thank you to all who have rallied around us, reminding us that even in the darkest moments, we are never truly alone.”
Renee has since returned to Calgary and Trevor was loaded onto a medevac plane Thursday afternoon. He is expected to arrive in Calgary late Thursday evening, when he will then be transported to the Foothills Medical Centre.
Friends step up to donate blood
Following the crash, Trevor was placed into an intensive care unit and a team of seven surgeons at the Hospital Alhma Medical Center began working on him.
Doctors were able to operate but frequently had to pause their work due to a lack of available blood.
The news was heartbreaking for close friends Jennyfer Wychreschuk and Warren Wood, who took matters into their own hands and booked flights to Mexico to donate blood.
“So, myself and Warren, who had the same blood type as Trevor, got in touch and we decided to be more proactive than reactive,” said Wychreschuk.
“These people are my chosen family, my kids call Trevor and Renee ‘uncle and auntie.’ They’re just the most kind-hearted (people) and I know if it was anyone else in that hospital bed, they would have been the first to step up and do the same thing.”
Wood adds that Trevor has been ‘like a brother’ to him and so many others and that ‘he’s the glue’ that brings friend groups together.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when we first saw him, his eyes lit up,” said Wood.
“He was so happy to see us joking that he was ‘a little banged up,’ so it was so good to see his personality still intact and was such an emotional and wonderful feeling to see him.”
Both Wychreschuk and Wood have since returned to Calgary and also assisted in helping Trevor’s son Cooper return home. Trevor’s daughter, Marissa, has also since returned home where she was able to stay temporarily with friends.
‘A true hero’
Shawn Sim and his wife Jeanette are close family friends of the Cockrells, and they were also in the taxi that was rear-ended in the crash that severely injured Trevor.
It was Shawn who pulled Trevor out of the crash and his wife who also stood by to support in the booking of extra accommodations and flights.
“Shawn really is the true hero in this story,” said Wood.
“He was always thinking three steps ahead, making sure everything was rearranged and if you’ve ever been in a family tragedy, you know you need that calming spirit, and Shawn provided that.”
Shawn has stood by Trevor the entire time and is accompanying him on the flight back home to Calgary Thursday.
Hockey tournament to continue
The Spring Extravaganza Hockey Tournament is described by Trevor Cockrell’s friends as being his “pride and joy.”
He’s been organizing the 16-team under-18 event for the past three years, which is one of the largest tournaments of its tier level in Alberta.
Chad Lerner, who also volunteers to help run the event, says he was shocked to find out about the tragedy involving his close friend but vowed to keep the event alive.
“Trevor is such a unique guy, he’s got such a passion for the underdog, especially in sports, to creating this competitive hockey event for kids, which is kind of below the elite level, was so incredible,” Lerner said.
“I’ve been helping him with it, but he really does all the hard work, it’s at least a five-person job to organize something like this, but he takes it on himself to give back and it’s almost a full-time job even though he’s just volunteering his time.”
The Spring Extravaganza runs from April 4 to 6 at the G.H. Dawe Community Centre in Red Deer. The tournament will feature teams from all over Alberta, as well as Fort Nelson, B.C.; Yellowknife, N.W.T.; Regina, Saskatoon and Paradise Hill, Sask.
In total, eight different leagues will be represented in the monumental event.
