Pilot in critical condition after crash near Weyburn

Pilot in critical condition after crash near Weyburn

Evan Hansen suffered burns to 80 per cent of his body, sister-in-law says

The pilot of a sprayer plane that crashed and caught fire in Saskatchewan this week is fighting for his life, according to an online fundraising campaign created by his sister-in-law.

“Eighty per cent of his body has been burned, and he has many life threatening injuries that he is fighting to overcome,” wrote Laurel Stickel, whose sister Annika married the pilot, Evan Hansen, five months ago.

RCMP have said the sprayer plane crashed outside the hamlet of Beaubier, about 50 kilometres southwest of Weyburn, just before 11 a.m. CST on Wednesday.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said preliminary information indicates the plane hit power lines then crashed to the ground.

RCMP said a STARS air ambulance rescued Hansen and took him to hospital.

He is now in the burn unit of the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton and is expected to be there for upwards of 80 days, Stickel wrote in a GoFundMe campaign post.

“The past 24 hours have been a nightmare,” Stickel wrote.

“We are in need of a miracle.”

Sprayer plane crashes into power line, catches fire near Weyburn, Sask.

She’s hoping Hansen’s blood pressure will stabilize and his lungs will heal, she wrote.

“Because he is in critical condition, we are coming together as a community to support Annika and Evan emotionally, spiritually, and financially."

As of Friday afternoon, the GoFundMe Stickel started for Hansen on Thursday had raised over $100,000.

Stickel wrote that she’s grateful for the support.

“We are already blown away by how our people have come together."

Laura Gillis is a Regina-based journalist. You can reach her at laura.gillis@cbc.ca.