“We were lucky enough and brave enough to just leave Mexico and try something different, you know, chase a dream,” Bastarrachea said. Just a year and a half into their new life in Canada, the 32-year-old is now faced with a challenge they never dreamed of: learning to live life without his left leg. Before arriving in Canada, Bastarrachea and Ballester got matching tattoos to commemorate their arrival in Canada, where they planned to start a new life. (Contributed by Emilia Ballester) Bastarrachea was one of two people hit by an allegedly impaired driver in downtown Toronto on Canada Day. The other man who was hit died and six others were injured. While Bastarrachea survived, his leg was so badly injured that it had to be amputated. As Bastarrachea prepares to leave the hospital on Friday, the couple is preparing to adjust to life in Canada in a completely different way. Bastarrachea and Ballester were downtown on Canada Day, hoping for a fireworks display near the CN Tower. After realizing it wasn’t there, they went to dinner at a restaurant near Front Street and University Avenue. The crash happened as they were returning to their apartment, heading north on University Avenue near Wellington Street, around 11:30 p.m. “We get there and we have a red light for pedestrians, so we wait our turn,” Bastarrachea said. “When the [pedestrian] the light turns green, we start to cross. And I just hear that car coming in at full speed.” Bastarrachea said he saw a car hit two other cars and then start to spin toward them “It just happened so fast,” he said. “I fall to the ground and immediately feel this wonderful tingling, burning sensation in my leg as I’m lying in a plank position.” The crash happened as the couple was walking back to their apartment, heading north on University Avenue near Wellington Street, around 11:30 p.m. (Merhdad Nazarahari/CBC News) Bastarrachea was rushed to hospital by ambulance, but not before he could see his leg. “It was completely tarnished,” Bastarrachea said. “My leg was kind of, like, twisted all the way to the other side, and there was just a lot of blood.”
“I just wanted Carlos to be okay”
Ballester was not hit, but suffered a second-degree hamstring strain trying to get away quickly. He went to the hospital with Bastarrachea, where he was sedated. She was told she needed to be evaluated and it would be a few hours. She went home to check on their dog and a few hours later got an emergency call from the doctor. “He said.. we’re going to have to amputate his leg because his leg is completely gone, there’s no muscle or skin. So I need you to come to the hospital right now,” Ballester said. “But I just wanted Carlos to be okay, to have a normal life as soon as possible instead of trying to recover this leg that maybe couldn’t even be saved.” Carlos Bastarrachea was photographed in hospital after the accident. His left leg was amputated after he was admitted to the hospital. (Contributed by Emilia Ballester) It’s a decision Bastarrachea admits wasn’t easy for his wife, but he said he’s grateful for it. What awaits the couple is adjusting their lives to their new physical reality, from modifying their apartment to be accessible, to Bastarrachea eventually learning to walk with a prosthetic. They set up a GoFundMe page to prepare for the financial burden of the prosthetic, home modifications and other expenses in their future. “There are ramps, there are elevators, there are a lot of things that will help me with mobility because while the prosthetic is coming, I have to get around in a wheelchair,” Bastarrachea said. The couple says this all happened just as they were starting to really settle into the city. Bastarrachea said he was doing well at his job at a company that provides travel concierge services. He had plans for the summer and hoped to take an adult beginner hockey class in the fall. Ballester — who trained in dance at Centennial College — got more and more gigs and the couple put down roots. “We just felt like we started to belong here. As outsiders, we made this little family — our friends, who were awesome,” Bastarrachea said.
“We can’t be stopped because of this”
A 26-year-old driver has been arrested and faces multiple charges over the crash, including impaired driving causing death and bodily harm and dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm. “Plans that we had, short-term plans, long-term plans… And you say: Why was this taken away from me? Why me? Why at my age, you know, [as] a 32 year old male, I follow a healthy lifestyle. Why is this happening;” Bastarrachea said. Emilia Ballester (left) brings the couple’s dog to visit Carlos Bastarrachea (right) while he was undergoing treatment (Courtesy of Emilia Ballester) But despite this disappointment, the couple remains profoundly positive. “We were victims of something that was out of our control. This is not going to bring back my leg. This is not going to bring back our lives and it is not going to do us any good,” Bastarrachea said. “But out of this whole situation, a lot of positive things took strength and gave us light and gave us purpose.” For now the couple says they are grateful for what they still have. “Yes – there’s anger, there’s frustration, but there’s a lot to look forward to,” Ballester said. “Well, we can’t be stopped because of that.” “I can’t help but feel grateful that I’m still alive, that Emilia didn’t have anything close to that,” Bastarrachea said. “You’re here, you’re by my side, and, you know, I can still hold her with my hands. I didn’t lose my hands, and I can still do that.”
