Out of the Dark

The wind was hitting hard against Jules Delorme’s helmet and he was screaming—screaming for joy. He was riding his quad bike through the trails at Beaver Lake in Kelowna, BC.

The thrill. The adrenaline rush.

Jules felt like he was on top of the world. All of his problems were disappearing as he focussed on the thing he loved doing the most—riding.

Out of nowhere, he felt himself losing control of his ATV. He tried slowing down but nothing worked.

Unable to do anything except watch his vehicle slip toward the edge of the gravel road, he experienced the worst moment of his life. He fell down the hill. And suddenly, everything went black.

The accident occurred on August 31, 2014,

and left him with a broken jaw and severe head trauma. Before that, Jules was a Local 63 member employed as a labourer by JVD Installations on the ground-engaging tools crew. He was just a normal 32-year-old with a loving family and a good job. He was happy and enjoying life, spending most of his free time with his seven-year-old son, Jamon.

After the accident, Jules was in the dark for a long time. For nearly five months, he was in a coma. The doctors told his family that he most likely wouldn’t recover from his extensive brain injuries. And if somehow he miraculously did recover, he would be in a permanent vegetative state for the rest of his life.

But Jules proved them wrong and woke up in January 2015. After opening his eyes, he saw the faces of his family members, the doctors, and the nurses who had been by his side for the last five months. He was confused and recalls being in coma as the time where he felt like he was “sleeping but didn’t have the ability to dream about anything.”

Jamie Mercer, Jules's friend and fellow Local 63 member, didn’t know his friend had been in an accident until people started posting “pray for Jules” statuses on Facebook. Shocked and confused, he reached out to Jules’s family to find out what had happened.

The two friends were both scheduled to meet a few days after the accident occurred. They had booked their flight from Calgary to fly back together to the Imperial Oil site in Alberta’s oilsands where they both had been working for the last three years.

“We worked side-by-side on the TVP crew, which services all the heavy-duty equipment,” says Jamie. “At first, our relationship was just professional, but we soon became really good friends. We confided in each other often and had a lot of fun whenever we were together.

“Hearing about Jules’s accident really shocked me. I knew I had to help. I called HR and explained that I wanted to start a fundraiser to try and help him out. We got permission from our company, JV Driver, and they told us they have a hardship fund criteria that Jules met. If I was able to raise $5,000, they told me they would match the donations and we would have $10,000 in total.”

Jamie went back to work a few days later and talked to his co-workers on site about the accident.

“The story really hit home for a lot of people. Some of them didn’t even know Jules but related to him either through his love for riding or through the fact that he had a young child. Even people from other contractors were coming up and donating money multiple times. It was such an amazing sight to see.”

Due to the fact that they worked in an isolated area and not everybody carried cash, the company set up a payroll deduction for anyone who wanted to donate. With the help of his co-workers and the company, Jamie raised a total of $22,000.

“I was extremely happy that we were able to raise that much money. Even though I initiated the fundraiser, it’s the unity of the members who showed kindness, concern, compassion, and a willingness to help a fellow member in need. I was both honoured and blessed to have their support.

“Obviously, his whole life has changed now, but I don’t think he realizes how inspiring he is for all the things that he went through. I’ll always have a strong bond with him.”

When Jules heard about what his former co-workers had done for him, he felt extremely grateful that he was surrounded by such loving individuals.

“I felt so many emotions when I first found out about the fundraiser. The money has helped me a lot in the hardships that I have had to deal with.”

Jules renewed his recovery efforts, inspired and motivated by his son and everyone else who had helped him out in any way. He was released from the hospital after six months and placed in a retirement home. Although he was getting better, his inability to complete everyday tasks without help meant that he needed a caretaker around him at all times.

“After the retirement home, I got moved to Kelowna General Hospital for rehab,” says Jules. “This is where I got out of my wheelchair and began to learn how to stand and walk with the help of forearm crutches.”

The doctors had told him that there was a high chance that he would not be able to get out of a wheelchair for the rest of his life. For the sake of his son, who is now nine years old, Jules persevered and continued to work hard.

“I wanted to be able to play with my son and eventually be able to take him outside and do the things we used to do before.”

On his own time, Jules practices walking with the help of parallel bars. He also goes to the gym and lifts weights to become stronger.

“I am in a good place right now,” he says. “I get to see my son every Sunday. We go out and eat ice cream and we love to watch TV together. There’s a lot we still can’t do together, but I am hoping that changes in the future.”

Although the accident, coma, and recovery have been a very difficult journey for him, Jules says he counts his blessings every day.

“I miss working, and to think that I can probably never work again is sad,” he says. “I might not even be able to ever return to my normal life, but I am still thankful and happy that I survived.”

Jules now visits a physiotherapist twice per week and has many dreams for the future.

“My goal is to be independent, move into my own house, and to be able to spend more time with my son. And never to take life for granted again.”

Six, Three . . . Four Wheels

The first ATVs, introduced in the 1960s, featured six wheels and were amphibious. Riders sat in them, rather than straddling them like today’s ATVs. The first straddle variety was a three-wheeler, the Sperry-Rand Tricart, built in 1968. Honda introduced its three-wheel all-terrain cycle in 1970, and its popularity grew when it was featured in the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever and TV’s Magnum P.I.

The first powered quad bike was actually built and sold in 1893 by Royal Enfield, but it was meant for road use. It wasn’t until Suzuki’s QuadRunner LT125, introduced in 1982, and Honda’s TRX200, introduced in 1984, were produced that four-wheel ATVs became popular. They quickly dominated the market, and owned it when manufacturers stopped producing three-wheelers in 1988 due to safety concerns.

While sport versions of ATVs are popular with recreational riders, bigger utility ATVs, usually featuring four-wheel drive, are very popular with hunters, farmers, ranchers—and workers on construction sites. Military versions, often with six wheels, are used around the world. ATVs are also raced professionally. The Grand National Cross Country series began in 1980, and the ATV National Motocross Championship series began in 1985.