Victim Impact Statement

Robert J Anderson
February 28, 2021
During the early afternoon of April 23rd 2018, I was walking southbound
on the westside of Young street just south of Finch avenue. I had just
recently retired in the past year and I was starting to enjoy my
Retirement.
At around 1:30 pm the Ryder Van driven by Alex Minassian hit me from
behind near Kemper and Young and left the scene leaving me with life
threatening injuries. I only remember waking up in the ICU at
Sunnybrook with my older brother Ian and ICU staff looking down at
me. I did not know what had happened, or what the time of day it was,
or even what day it was. I was just lying there highly sedated with a
chest tube draining a reddish fluid from by left side of my ribcage and
the string of surgical staples closing my abdomen right up to my chest.
My left side ribcage had multiple fractures called a flail chest, my left
lung had collapsed and had to be repaired, my spleen had been
lacerated and had to be removed, my liver had been lacerated and had
to be repaired. I had bleeding around the left Kidney and Adrenal gland.
In addition, I had a Traumatic Brain injury with a Scattered
subarachnoid and a left greater than right intraventricular hemorrhage.
My first blood pressure was only 70 over 50. After my blood pressure
had been stabilized and my head injuries had been examined through
consultation with Neurosurgery, I was taken to the Operating Room for
urgent trauma abdominal surgery. Fortunately for me my Brain
hemorrhages showed mild improvement and Neurosurgery signed off
and I did not require Neurosurgery.
The next four weeks in Hospital at both Sunnybrook and St John’s rehab
were sometimes confusing and painful, particularly during the early
days in the ICU. While at Sunnybrook I had to remain on the Surgical
anesthesia for an extended period of time to manage pain and I was
treated for Ventilator associated pneumonia. Although these where
very troubling times, I am very great full to the outstanding medical
staff at Sunnybrook and St John’s, various victim supports, Toronto
Police Victim Services and to my family for helping me through this.
It has been almost three years since the attack and I have tried to get
back to normal as much as possible. Because of the Spleen removal my
immune system is compromised and I must keep a prescription of anti-
biotics on hand at all times and must keep up to date with numerous
vaccines. I carry on with my normal daily activities but no longer do my
cycling due to dizziness. My short-term memory continues to suffer
from the head injuries.

Robert Anderson