Draidyn’s Story

00:00:01:29 – 00:00:33:12
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Before we start, a word of caution. As you know, STARS provides pre-hospital care for critically ill and injured patients who have sustained severe trauma or debilitating illnesses. It’s what we do. As such, some of the details in this podcast may be difficult for some listeners. The STARS mission being explored this season involves graphic descriptions of physical injuries to a youth. Psychological impacts are also detailed. The patients, family, and supporters have generously allowed us to tell this story as a personalized insight into STARS.

00:00:33:15 – 00:01:06:15
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: And for that, we are genuinely grateful. The community, and everyone else who was involved, welcomed us with open arms to help us tell this story. Having spent time with about 20 people researching it and recording interviews on the phone, virtually, in studio, and right at the scene of the incident, we can tell you this: our conversations were raw and candid, and as such, some of the details uncomfortable. For this podcast, we’ve endeavoured to tell the story accurately without being too sensational. Still, listener discretion is advised.

00:01:06:17 – 00:01:12:27
Co-host Deborah Tetley: You said something earlier that you were talking to yourself in your head. What were you saying?

00:01:13:00 – 00:01:33:05
Draidyn Wollmann: Well, I’m not going to ​“bleep” die. I’m not going to ​“bleep” die. I’m going to figure out how to get out of this. That’s what I was repeating to myself in my head. Stressful day.

00:01:33:08 – 00:01:48:08
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Welcome to Mission Ready presented by ARC Resources. This STARS podcast breaks down in detail one mission each season to give you a stronger understanding of how we provide critical care anywhere, and what happens before and after the mission. I’m Deborah Tetley.

00:01:48:11 – 00:02:04:28
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: And I’m Lyle Aspinall. In Season 2, we’re analyzing an emergency response to a traumatic incident where a teenager was run over by an industrial-sized riding lawnmower in Laird, Saskatchewan. This is Episode 5: Draidyn’s story.

00:02:05:01 – 00:03:42:23
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: By now, you know Draidyn Wollmann survived being run over by an industrial lawnmower. That was thanks to the skills of emergency responders and a team of STARS critical care providers all working together. But you know who you haven’t heard from yet is Draidyn himself. And he remembers much of what happened after the lawnmower stopped on top of him. We had the opportunity to speak with him about it more than once. When Draidyn visited the STARS base with a large group of supporters to meet the crew members from his mission, those of us who were new to the story had our first glimpse into just how remarkable it was. So, later, Deb and I asked Draidyn and his mom, Christine, if we could focus on it in Season 2 of Mission Ready, since it would be a strong insight behind the scenes showing what STARS does to ensure a patient in need gets the best chance possible. They warmly agreed. So we first spoke virtually and then later in person at the very place where they said the accident happened. Which is why, in a few moments when you hear from Draidyn, you might notice subtle variations in the audio quality. It was the summer of 2023 when we spoke with him in person, just before he started Grade 11, and only a few days after the one-year anniversary of the incident. Now, understandably, he’s not a huge fan of reliving his life-changing moment, so we kept our probing light and focused our conversations more on what occurred after he became trapped under the lawnmower deck and his recovery since then. But we know you’ve got to be wondering how this whole thing even happened in the first place. For that, let’s go to the court record. Deb is going to read you a couple of quotes from the public transcript of the sentencing hearing between the Crown and the Village of Laird, which happened on July 10^th, 2024. Citing an agreed statement of facts between the two, the transcript reads, quote:

00:03:42:25 – 00:04:01:00
Co-host Deborah Tetley: The mower is designed with several safety switches, including a seat safety switch that stops the power unit if the operator’s weight is not on the seat. The seat safety on the machine involved in the incident had been bypassed several years earlier, when the seat and its base were modified and replaced with a seat from another model.

00:04:01:05 – 00:04:07:15
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: End quote. And later in the transcript, when describing the incident itself, it says that when Draidyn, quote:

00:04:07:18 – 00:04:37:24
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Engaged the mower in a forward direction, it lurched, prompting the seat controls and engine cover to tilt backwards. He was then ejected from the back of the machine and landed on the ground. When this occurred, he believes that one of the steering controls was pulled back, causing the machine to reverse and turn. Because the seat safety switch had been bypassed, the mower was allowed to run without an operator in the seat. Draidyn was run over, and he became entangled and dragged beneath the rear of the cutting deck until the engine eventually stalled.

00:04:37:26 – 00:05:10:01
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: End quote. The sentencing hearing where those words were read related to regulatory charges pursuant to the Saskatchewan Employment Act and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Ultimately, the Village of Laird was fined a total of $150,000. So, now that you know how it happened, let’s return to the story of the emergency response. Here it is: Draidyn’s telling of his rescue and recovery.

00:05:10:03 – 00:05:16:04
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Okay, Deb, I’m gonna hit record… and both are recording. Go ahead, Deb.

00:05:16:07 – 00:05:17:10
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Hi, Draidyn. How are you?

00:05:17:17 – 00:05:18:25
Draidyn Wollmann: I’m good. How are you?

00:05:18:26 – 00:05:21:00
Co-host Deborah Tetley: You ready for another interview?

00:05:21:02 – 00:05:22:13
Draidyn Wollmann: Oh, sure. Why not?

00:05:22:14 – 00:05:34:02
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Yeah. Why not? So maybe just take a couple of seconds and tell us why we’re at this location. Maybe show us the significance of why we’re here.

00:05:34:04 – 00:05:58:02
Draidyn Wollmann: Well, we’re here where my accident happened just a year before. Right around here is where I was stuck underneath the mower here, behind the Laird arena and the Laird curling rink.

00:05:58:05 – 00:06:16:08
Draidyn Wollmann: I was stuck here for an hour. No clouds. Just pure sun, and the light just beating down on me. Calling for help. And it was terrifying, let’s just say.

00:06:16:10 – 00:06:22:20
Co-host Deborah Tetley: You said something earlier that you were talking to yourself in your head. What were you saying?

00:06:22:23 – 00:06:38:20
Draidyn Wollmann: Well, I’m not going to ​“bleep” die. I’m not going to ​“bleep” die. I’m going to figure out how to get out of this. That’s what I was repeating to myself in my head.

00:06:38:22 – 00:06:41:07
Co-host Deborah Tetley: I’m assuming ​“bleep” is a bad word.

00:06:41:09 – 00:06:44:29
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes.

00:06:45:01 – 00:06:46:23
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Wow.

00:06:46:26 – 00:06:48:21
Draidyn Wollmann: Yeah.

00:06:48:23 – 00:06:53:13
Co-host Deborah Tetley: After this happened you said you laid there for about an hour until your boss found you.

00:06:53:14 – 00:06:54:18
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes. Correct.

00:06:54:20 – 00:07:02:00
Co-host Deborah Tetley: An hour is a very, very long time. What was happening in that hour.

00:07:02:02 – 00:07:55:13
Draidyn Wollmann: In that hour, I was figuring out what was going on and then– well, I was panicking a bit, and then I felt something was wrong with my arm, and my arm was chopped off with a bit of skin just hanging on to the rest of it. And also, I was trying to get myself unstuck because my left foot was stuck underneath the mower deck. It was jammed. My right foot was free, but part of it was… was on it. It was slowly cutting circulation on it. And I was trying to get myself free. And I was hearing weird, funny noises coming from my chest. And I thought, Did I get punctured? It was terrifying. Couldn’t see.

00:07:55:16 – 00:07:57:15
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Were you shouting out for help?

00:07:57:18 – 00:08:18:06
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes. I heard someone mowing that day. Every time he turned off his engine, I would try to yell for help, but it didn’t work. I thought I was going to die there. I thought, Am I going to die here? Am I already dead and I’m just cursed, you know, or something?

00:08:18:08 – 00:08:19:28
Co-host Deborah Tetley: How terrifying.

00:08:20:00 – 00:09:09:11
Draidyn Wollmann: Very terrifying. Between the– trying to fight for your life and… it’s just terrifying. Being very close to death, it’s one of the most terrifying things. No one can really explain how. It’s just terrifying. I was spitting on myself to keep myself cool and keep myself awake. Stressful, stressful day. Of course, the weight of the mower deck was slowing the blood that was coming out of my chest, and it was hard breathing. So I had to breathe through my mouth and my mouth was very dry.

00:09:09:14 – 00:09:18:22
Co-host Deborah Tetley: This is probably going to sound like a ridiculous question, but you haven’t mentioned anything about being in pain. Did– did it hurt? Were you in pain?

00:09:18:24 – 00:09:49:06
Draidyn Wollmann: Here’s the weird part: I had no pain. No pain. I sort of want to say I was in shock or something. Because I was doing some research — all this was after — that you, if you’re in shock, you feel no pain. So I want to say I was in shock, I guess, feeling no pain. But I was visual and I was fine. Well, sort of fine.

00:09:49:09 – 00:09:55:28
Co-host Deborah Tetley: This question might be tough to answer, but I feel like you’re mature enough for it.

00:09:56:00 – 00:09:56:13
Draidyn Wollmann: Okay.

00:09:56:16 – 00:10:09:03
Co-host Deborah Tetley: I know you were thinking about a lot of stuff out there. It seems like there’s a lot of heavy thoughts. And you wondered if you might die. Did you think about your mom, your family, your friends?

00:10:09:06 – 00:10:11:00
Draidyn Wollmann: Oh, yeah, I thought about that.

00:10:11:03 – 00:10:12:15
Co-host Deborah Tetley: What did you think about?

00:10:12:17 – 00:10:27:02
Draidyn Wollmann: I thought I was going to die here, not to live far enough in my life. All sorts of stuff you couldn’t imagine.

00:10:27:04 – 00:10:30:21
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Those are some heavy thoughts to be having alone in that moment for an hour.

00:10:30:21 – 00:10:31:08
Draidyn Wollmann: M‑hm.

00:10:33:02 – 00:10:36:24
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Do you remember being found?

00:10:36:26 – 00:10:51:23
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes, I do. My boss, Warren– I heard a truck door closing. I thought, I didn’t know until he came up to me. I yelled for help. He ran over to me, called 911.

00:10:51:25 – 00:11:06:02
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Yeah. Do you mind, Draidyn, just going back a little bit? When you’re– you heard the truck, and it was the first person to find you, when your boss found you– Do you remember, like, did you hear him walking up? Did you hear him say anything? Was he like–

00:11:06:04 – 00:11:19:23
Draidyn Wollmann: He was terrified and shocked? Like, hmm, how would I explain? His expression was very scared, I guess. Very scared.

00:11:19:26 – 00:11:21:27
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Do you remember what he said to you?

00:11:21:29 – 00:11:23:02
Draidyn Wollmann: Not really, no.

00:11:23:03 – 00:11:23:19
Co-host Deborah Tetley: That’s okay.

00:11:23:19 – 00:11:27:21
Draidyn Wollmann: I only remember him calling the ambulance people and that.

00:11:27:22 – 00:11:30:23
Co-host Deborah Tetley: So you could hear him on the phone with 911?

00:11:30:26 – 00:11:34:06
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes.

00:11:34:08 – 00:11:38:15
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: And now, a quick word from our Season 2 sponsor.

00:11:38:18 – 00:12:14:29
ARC Resources ad spot: As Canada’s third largest natural gas producer and the largest producer of condensate, ARC Resources is proud to play an important role in the responsible development of Canada’s energy resources in delivering those resources. Safety is the number one priority, always, and it’s that core value that makes ARC’s partnership with STARS a natural fit. It’s our shared goal to ensure that everyone arrives home safely at the end of the day. Learn more about how ARC is leading the way for safe and responsible energy development at arcre​sources​.com.

00:12:15:02 – 00:12:19:12
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Welcome back. A lot of people came to your aid that day.

00:12:19:15 – 00:12:21:00
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes. Yeah.

00:12:21:02 – 00:12:34:19
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: And respecting that you were in a pretty tough spot, but you say that you remember a bunch of it, what do you remember about the people that were helping you that day? Who was sort of milling around? And what comes to mind when you think about that moment when people were helping?

00:12:34:22 – 00:12:53:03
Draidyn Wollmann: Well, I remember seeing some ambulance people, random people. I saw the mechanic guy, he works at the Laird Manufacturing. He was disassembling the mower deck.

00:12:53:10 – 00:12:59:06
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Do you remember when they actually took the lawn mower apart? Do you remember that happening?

00:12:59:08 – 00:13:16:24
Draidyn Wollmann: I remember them– they were disassembling it from the mower itself, disassembling all the arms that go to it and that. I was put out before I could see them lift the the mower deck off of me.

00:13:16:27 – 00:13:17:27
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Okay.

00:13:17:29 – 00:14:29:06
Draidyn Wollmann: Then, they put me, like, into this weird sleep thing. I was still conscious. I was able to hear everything, just not be able to move my body or any of my muscles. Then I heard and felt that I was being carried to the helicopter. I heard the engines roaring, but I didn’t actually… was able to look around. Then I remember being– feeling flying and then being– landing, I believe, on the helipad. Then everything going quiet, being rushed down the elevator to the emergency room. Then they put me into a coma, which was so terrifying. It was weird. I felt like I was awake. I was looking at people, barely, through a mask. When you’re in a coma, days go by, like, literally, by minutes. When I asked how long I was out, they said I was put out for a week. I’m like, it only felt like it was out for five minutes.

00:14:29:08 – 00:14:29:29
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Wow.

00:14:30:01 – 00:14:31:16
Draidyn Wollmann: Yeah.

00:14:31:18 – 00:14:35:16
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Yeah. And I imagine that time went slowly for the people who love you.

00:14:35:16 – 00:14:36:04
Draidyn Wollmann: M‑hm.

00:14:36:07 – 00:14:38:00
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Probably went very slowly for your mom.

00:14:38:00 – 00:14:40:00
Draidyn Wollmann: Yeah.

00:14:40:02 – 00:14:53:07
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Draidyn, how much do you know about what the STARS crew members did for you? I know– of course, you knew that you were flown in a helicopter, but beyond that, like, what kind of– how much do you know about what sort of care they provided to you?

00:14:53:09 – 00:15:16:08
Draidyn Wollmann: To be honest, I do not know. I was not awake, conscious. Well, I was conscious, but I was not able to hear the crew talking or them touching. I couldn’t feel them touching me. All I know was I could hear the engine roaring. That’s all I could hear.

00:15:16:10 – 00:15:38:27
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: They infused you with blood while you were still trapped by the lawnmower. And it was the blood that, they infused at that point. That, was integral in saving your life. And there was one (unit) while you were still with the lawnmower, one in the helicopter, and then more back at the hospital. What are your thoughts about STARS and the people, who were from STARS who helped to care for you that day?

00:15:38:29 – 00:15:50:07
Draidyn Wollmann: I want to say they did a good job. They’re good crew members, very well trained, I will say they’re… ten out of ten. Very good people. Very good job.

00:15:50:09 – 00:16:05:25
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Ten out of ten. I’ll make sure they hear that. That’s great. Let’s pick it up at the moment you wake up and you realize where you are and you start hearing, you know, more detail about what happened. What’s going through your mind at that time? What kind of questions are you asking those who are around you?

00:16:05:28 – 00:16:16:09
Draidyn Wollmann: I was asking if my arm could have been saved at all. They said it could, but it wouldn’t function at all.

00:16:16:11 – 00:16:19:15
Co-host Deborah Tetley: That was the first that you learned that you lost your arm.

00:16:19:18 – 00:16:21:02
Draidyn Wollmann: M‑hm.

00:16:21:02 – 00:16:26:22
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Do you mind talking about that a little bit? So, that was a complete shock to you. You didn’t know that was coming.

00:16:26:24 – 00:16:45:10
Draidyn Wollmann: Yeah, I guess I was very disappointed by sort of what— I think I guessed that I knew I lost it but hoping they could have fixed it, but from there I just accepted it that it was gone.

00:16:45:13 – 00:16:58:27
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: You sort of started a new journey in your life that day, and you talked about it a minute ago when you said you felt like you learned some things through the process. How has Draidyn become a different person in the past year?

00:16:59:00 – 00:17:03:14
Draidyn Wollmann: Mainly more responsible, I sort of want to say.

00:17:03:16 – 00:17:05:26
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Do you have an example of that?

00:17:05:28 – 00:17:27:21
Draidyn Wollmann: One time my mom, when I had my prosthetic, asked me to vacuum when she was going out with a friend. I said sure. I did vacuum, I vacuumed everywhere, I did the stairs and the kitchen. My old me, would’ve just vacuumed in the living room, do the stairs and not the kitchen.

00:17:27:23 – 00:17:32:27
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Do a lot of people ask you questions about your arm, how it works, how it functions?

00:17:32:29 – 00:17:36:16
Draidyn Wollmann: A couple people in my class do, yes.

00:17:36:18 – 00:17:38:12
Co-host Deborah Tetley: What do you say to them?

00:17:38:15 – 00:17:54:24
Draidyn Wollmann: I show them how it works and that, how I use my hook and my arm. All that stuff. They— My school doesn’t really ask me about the accident. They never do— rarely do.

00:17:54:27 – 00:17:57:15
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Does it feel like you’re talking about someone else?

00:17:57:18 – 00:18:02:08
Draidyn Wollmann: I guess the older me, I can say, sort of, yeah.

00:18:02:12 – 00:18:04:07
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Like a different Draidyn.

00:18:04:10 – 00:18:14:26
Draidyn Wollmann: Yeah. My old Draidyn. Now I’m one-armed Draidyn. And my friend usually calls me 15 per cent Terminator.

00:18:15:01 – 00:18:15:22
All: (laughter)

00:18:15:24 – 00:18:17:23
Co-host Deborah Tetley: That’s amazing. What do you think of that?

00:18:17:25 – 00:18:19:21
Draidyn Wollmann: I like that name a lot.

00:18:19:24 – 00:18:20:25
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Yeah, I like that too.

00:18:20:26 – 00:18:26:18
Co-host Deborah Tetley: You know, it’s interesting you talked about the old Draidyn. What are— Other than your arm, what else is different?

00:18:26:21 – 00:18:56:24
Draidyn Wollmann: Umm… not much— Well, my attitude of perceiving the world has changed. I guess, more mature, I guess. Understanding not everything is a game, that there’s more to life than just sitting around or being dumb, I guess. It’s sort of taught me a lesson, I sort of want to say that, like, I’m more cautious, I guess.

00:18:56:26 – 00:18:57:09
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Yeah, that’s…

00:18:57:11 – 00:18:57:28
Co-host Deborah Tetley: That’s fair.

00:18:58:05 – 00:18:58:29
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: It’s a good takeaway.

00:19:01:10 – 00:19:05:16
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: So, Draidyn, was this your first summer job or have you had summer jobs in the past?

00:19:05:19 – 00:19:08:14
Draidyn Wollmann: No, this was my very first one.

00:19:08:17 – 00:19:13:13
Co-host Deborah Tetley: And when you went into that job two weeks before, were you like, ​“Oh this is the best summer job”? Like, what— ?

00:19:13:15 – 00:19:21:25
Draidyn Wollmann: Well, I thought what I was going to get, I’ll be able to make money and then I’ll be able to buy my first car, hopefully.

00:19:21:28 – 00:19:24:07
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: What kind of car did you want to buy?

00:19:24:10 – 00:19:29:20
Draidyn Wollmann: Well, my mom says it has me a fuel-efficient one. I’d been looking around—

00:19:29:21 – 00:19:30:29
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Moms, hey?

00:19:31:01 – 00:19:42:28
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes, I’d been looking around, couldn’t find any, but my eyes always capture an old fox-body, or an old 90s wagon.

00:19:43:00 – 00:19:44:22
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Oh, yes. That’d be pretty cool.

00:19:44:24 – 00:19:48:21
Draidyn Wollmann: Yes. Station wagons are better than SUVs, in my opinion.

00:19:48:22 – 00:19:52:22
Co-host Deborah Tetley: You can put a lot of friends in a station wagon, eh?

00:19:52:24 – 00:20:04:07
Draidyn Wollmann: Yeah. I just like old vehicles because they look good and they sound good. Unlike the cars today that sound weird and are more bubble-like.

00:20:04:10 – 00:20:12:19
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Next time on Mission Ready.

00:20:12:22 – 00:20:26:12
Draidyn Wollmann: She’s a 1958 Pontiac with a 283 V8 in her. Manual, three on a tree. Very nice car.

00:20:26:14 – 00:20:30:07
Chris Dennis: This kid’s a fighter. Like, this kid’s going to go places in life.

00:20:30:09 – 00:20:40:25
Flight nurse Bailey Sinclair: Draidyn coming back to visit is just so important for us, because it helps us as air medical crew to see why what we do matters.

00:20:40:28 – 00:20:46:03
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Mission Ready, presented by ARC Resources, is produced in-house by me, Deborah Tetley.

00:20:46:03 – 00:20:51:26
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: And me, Lyle Aspinall. Watch video clips from this season at stars​.ca/​m​i​s​s​i​o​n​ready.

00:20:51:29 – 00:21:08:18
Co-host Deborah Tetley: Mission Ready contains original theme music by Kaiya Gamble, whose dad was a long time STARS pilot and whose mom was once a transport physician. Check her out at kaiyagam​ble​.com. Please rate and review Mission Ready wherever you found it, and be sure to tell you friends about it. Also, check out Season 1.

00:21:08:20 – 00:21:15:02
Co-host Lyle Aspinall: Want to be a STARS ally? Get involved and support our mission by visiting stars​.ca. Until next time, thanks for listening.