Richmond woman 'lucky to be alive' after nearly being killed by dump truck
Nearly two years ago, a woman from Richmond was brutally struck by a dump truck and almost died, and she shared her story and miraculous recovery with Daily Hive.
Julia Kwan was born and raised in the region, and while she feels “lucky to be alive” now and was in positive spirits during our conversation, she acknowledged that she still has hard days and her recovery is ongoing.
The harrowing accident
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The accident that changed Kwan’s life forever took place on Nov. 4, 2024, just two blocks away from her house.
“I was actually at an appointment in Steveston Village, and normally I would walk home from those appointments.”
On this particular day, it was raining quite hard, and there was a bit of wind. A storm was expected. Kwan decided to take the bus, which she said she never did. She was dropped off at around Number 2 Road and Steveston.
“When I got off the bus, I waited for the light to change so I could cross the street, and basically, as I stepped off the curb, that’s when I got hit.”
She instantly knew it was bad and didn’t know if she would survive. The truck was moving with her “in it.”
The truck stopped, and the driver got out and literally pulled her out from the wheel. Kwan thinks she may have been in the driver’s blind spot. On the note of the driver, he pleaded not guilty to the incident, and Kwan will be going to trial against him.
Serendipitous pumpkins
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There’s a fire hall directly across the street from where the accident happened, and some witnesses ran over and knocked on the fire hall’s door, asking them to come out, so the firefighters were first on the scene.
“Because of that, there wasn’t actually a traditional 911 call for ambulance or anything,” Kwan said.
Kwan was alert and conscious for the entire experience and believes her body was telling her to stay awake so she could survive.
We asked her if she felt pain during the incident, but she said it was more shock that she felt. There was a degloving of her left leg, which essentially means a portion of her leg came off.
While the location of the incident was fortuitous due to the proximity to the fire hall, there was some other wild serendipity.
The day before the accident, Kwan was at the fire hall for a pumpkin-smashing event. It was a fundraiser where attendees went to the top of the fire hall and threw their pumpkins off the roof.
Kwan said that when the accident happened, and she saw her leg, she was reminded of the event.
“It kind of reminded me of what those squashed pumpkins looked like.”
A miraculous recovery with a lot of support
Amir Ali/Daily Hive
Kwan said one thing the firefighters did really well was control the scene.
“They provided me with a lot of comfort, kindness and making me feel as safe and as comfortable as I could.”
Kwan was on the ground for around 45 minutes because the ambulance that was coming to pick her up was arriving from South Vancouver. We learned from Kwan that there’s only one advanced care ambulance that services Richmond and Delta.
Kwan has a husband and son (two years old at the time of the incident), who have been a huge part of her recovery.
“I am so lucky to have such an incredible family and friends,” Kwan said, adding that the people around her also helped her through a lot of the ugly sides of the recovery.
Kwan said that after the accident, her husband was trying to figure out which hospital she was going to, because he had just received a random phone call from a witness saying an accident had occurred and that her leg was in really bad shape. She received her care at VGH.
Kwan feels very fortunate to be where she is today and is very grateful that her care was at VGH.
“The doctors have all said that I have really, really good healing properties in my body.”
Kwan spent six nights in the ICU, where she had four surgeries in five days. She spent a total of nine weeks in the hospital. She wasn’t able to put her full weight on her leg until about three months after the accident. A huge shift from initially fearing she’d lose her leg altogether.
“At three months after the accident, I was really just starting to get familiar with walking again. I was using a walker, I was using crutches, and I actually got myself to fully walking unsupported at four and a half months.”
Her recovery isn’t over; she still has nerve pain in her leg, and she’s gearing up for another surgery in a couple of weeks.
“I actually like to call my recovery kind of like hiking the Grouse Grind,” Kwan said.
Kwan’s point is one anyone who has hiked the Grind can understand. That point when you think you’re halfway when in fact you’re only a quarter of the way up.
There are several people Kwan is incredibly thankful for outside of her friends and family who supported her.
Dr. Jean Philip Dawe was the main surgeon for the initial surgeries following the incident. She had many different people work on her body, but another person who stood out was a wound-care nurse named Erin.
“I just gravitated towards her, and there are just certain people that you look at and just know that you’re going to be taken care of. That was her. She was just incredible.”
Kwan truly believes there is no other place other than VGH that she could’ve received the care she did.
How the accident shifted Kwan’s priorities in life
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One of the hardest parts of the journey was the acceptance of what happened.
“Now that I’ve gone through that, it’s a lot easier to have a positive outlook. I knew that it was going to be a long recovery as soon as I was in the hospital, and I just honestly felt lucky to be alive.”
Kwan said there were moments when she wasn’t sure she was going to survive during the ambulance ride to the hospital. She kept thinking that she couldn’t imagine her husband and son’s life without her, and her son having to grow up without a mom.
“That was really just the main focus for me in just staying alive.”
The accident has also changed a fundamental way that Kwan lives her life.
“I was very much a planner in life, and very career-driven. There’s a lot of grief in that, don’t get me wrong.”
She also feels a bit of imposter syndrome for surviving something with a high mortality rate.
Kwan went on to say that how she prioritizes her life now is different. She is also setting a lot of boundaries for herself so she doesn’t burn out.
“I’m saving the best parts of myself for my family.”
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Kwan’s story is a powerful reminder of the life-saving impact of the VGH+ Hometown Heroes Lottery.
The lottery supports the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, funding critical medical equipment at VGH, UBC Hospital, G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre, and numerous specialized sites across Vancouver Coastal Health.
Each ticket supports the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. Last year’s VGH+ Hometown Heroes Lottery raised $5.4 million for health care in BC. Learn more about the VGH+ Hometown Heroes Lottery at heroeslottery.com.