Community fundraising for Sask. paramedics struck by a car while vacationing in Las Vegas

Sarah Onyango · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Financial enactment is pouring successful online for 2 Saskatchewan women who were struck by a car in Las Vegas.

Katrine Sinclair and Charlie Lastowsky, some paramedics from Prince Albert, had travelled to Las Vegas connected April 17 to observe Sinclair's 21st day and their caller graduation from paramedic school.

The brace was walking done the metropolis erstwhile they were deed by a conveyance portion connected a crosswalk, according to Sinclair's mother, Roberta Sinclair.

"It's a parent's worst nightmare erstwhile you get a telephone telephone astir your kid being progressive successful an accident," Roberta said.

Roberta said she received the news astatine 2:30 a.m. connected April 19 that her girl and Lastowksy had been earnestly injured and were being taken to University Medical Center successful Las Vegas.

"Katrine suffered a fractured pelvis successful 3 places, a breached rib, a breached humerus, and aboriginal we learned she besides had fractures successful her L3 and L5 vertebrae," Roberta said.

She caught a nonstop formation from Saskatoon to Las Vegas connected Sunday.

"They were — and inactive are — successful a batch of pain," she said, adding the champion friends are sharing a infirmary room.

'A large beingness lesson'

Shaylynn Naytowhow, who grew up adjacent with Sinclair's family, members of the Métis Nation, launched a GoFundMe run that's present circulating online to wage the aesculapian bills.

"I was precise shocked due to the fact that it's conscionable similar my full full teen years of watching [Katrine Sinclair] turn up, it conscionable similar flashed done my eyes and I was, like, devastated and shocked," said Naytowhow. 

She wanted to include Lastowsky in the fundraiser, contempt not knowing her.

"I don't cognize Charlie personally, I ne'er had the accidental to conscionable her," she said. "But I felt that consciousness of inclusiveness. They went done paramedic schoolhouse together, they're friends, and they got into this horrible mishap together."

The campaign, which had raised more than $66,000 arsenic of Tuesday night, said the girls were "far from home, without entree to Canadian healthcare, and—most urgently—without wellness security to screen the overwhelming aesculapian expenses." 

CBC was incapable to scope the Lastowsky family. The GoFundMe page said some young women suffered "severe beingness altering injuries."

Saskatchewan residents injured successful a centrifugal conveyance collision, adjacent arsenic pedestrians, typically suffice for Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) no-fault sum anyplace successful Canada oregon the United States. Roberta said she was speaking to SGI astir coverage.

Meanwhile, the GoFundMe said Lastowsky had partial insurance, and Katrine's coverage stopped connected her 21st birthday, hours earlier the mishap successful Las Vegas.

Roberta estimates the aesculapian bills are astir $200,000 and a aesculapian evacuation could outgo astir $40,000. She said her girl is moved by the assemblage support.

"My wellness security expired connected her," said Roberta. "And being a young girl, she did not purchase extra medical insurance for the trip."

She added that portion her girl is cautious and responsible, she ne'er imagined thing similar this could happen.

"It's a large beingness lesson," said Roberta. "And it's 1 I anticipation others tin larn from, you person to program for life's unexpected moments."

Now, the absorption is connected getting the 2 women home.

Roberta says the families are moving to put a medevac flight, with hopes of returning to Saskatchewan aboriginal this week.

"We're aiming for Thursday," she said. "But the biggest hurdle is organizing the aerial ambulance. A surgeon successful Las Vegas needs to link with a surgeon astatine the [Royal] University Hospital successful Saskatoon."

Roberta said they privation the 2 women to question unneurotic connected the aforesaid plane.

Lyle Karasuik is the spokesperson for Parkland Ambulance, Sinclair and Lastowsky's employer. 

"Our squad volition beryllium determination for them nary substance what [their] needs are present and into the future, due to the fact that that's what our household does," said Karasuik. "We privation them thing but bully wellness and privation to person them backmost location arsenic soon arsenic we can."

Some of the largest donations person travel from the Dutchak family, which owns Parkland Ambulance, and their different employees.

No constabulary study yet 

Since the incident, Roberta has not received a constabulary study oregon further details regarding the accident.

"We're trying to determination guardant by requesting the mishap report. I filed an online petition to person it released," she said.

She's been successful interaction with the records subdivision of the Las Vegas constabulary department, but truthful far, she's lone been told the study is not yet available.

"The hardest portion is being stuck, conscionable waiting for answers," she said.