Published December 9, 2010 07:09PM
Doctors said if not for her exceptional physical condition, Janelle Morrison might not have survived a horrific crash near Revelstoke last month.
Morrison, 33, was driving on the Trans-Canada highway on Nov. 21 when a Dodge Caravan lost control, crossed the centre line and collided with her east bound Toyota Matrix. Morrison was air lifted to Kamloops. The driver of the van, a 25-year-old Surrey man, was charged with failing to keep right.
The former Calgary schoolteacher turned professional Ironman triathlete, had more recently been working at The Gym in Penticton. In her professional debut at Ironman Canada in 2009, Janelle raced to a third-place finish.
Morrison was put into intensive care, in a coma. Her injuries are extensive, including a ruptured diaphragm, punctured lung, broken femur, ankles, ulna, ribs, tibia and arms.
“Doctors state that had it not been for her exceptional physical condition, she would not have survived her injuries. Morrison has been in a medically induced coma since she arrived at the Kamloops hospital,” said friend Jordan Bryden in a statement. “She has undergone multiple surgeries, and will be heading into surgery to repair her arms today.”