Sandie Rinaldo: Rick Hansen marks the 50th anniversary of his life-changing accident by visiting the scene

Rick Hansen lost the use of his legs in a truck accident when he was just 15 years old, CTV National News anchor, Sandie Rinaldo interviewed him recently while visiting the place where his life changed irrevocably.

I remember reporting on Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion Tour for CTV National News. It was 1986 and the wheelchair athlete-turned-advocate for those with physical disabilities impressed me with his drive and persistence. 

Over 26 arduous months, he propelled his wheelchair across 34 countries raising not just awareness for spinal cord injuries, but more than $26 million to start a foundation to help fund research. 

Rick Hansen lost the use of his legs in a truck accident on June 27,  1973 when he was just 15 years old; his spinal cord shattered beyond repair.

I’ve interviewed Rick several times over the years, but it wasn’t until we met up again in the spring of 2023 to record a segment for “Sandie Rinaldo’s 50/50”; fifty of my favourite interviews over the course of my 50 years at CTV, that Rick told me he was marking the 50th anniversary of the accident by visiting the place where his life had changed irrevocably.

He invited me to come along.

Rick has written about that day, but told me he had never stopped at the scene of the accident. It was just too painful. He wasn’t even exactly sure where it was. We actually pointed out the spot to him after a farmer down the road shared the information with CTV News. 

There were witnesses all those years ago and the story has become the stuff of legends, passed from one local resident to another and another.