Calgary man lands in B.C. hospital after falling from two-storey balcony at Airbnb
Lawrence Pickrem thought he’d be celebrating a weekend away with friends in Vernon, B.C., but two hours into the trip on Friday it changed dramatically.
Pickrem, originally from Nova Scotia, and his friend were enjoying a beer on the balcony of their Airbnb rental.
They leaned on the railing when it gave way and they fell two storeys.
Pickrem broke his friend's fall, but he ruptured his spleen and broke his pelvis.
“It was quite a drop to the ground and it was on cement,” Pickrem said from his hospital room in Vernon. “All I remember was once the wind was knocked out of me, I remember looking over and seeing my buddy Barrett’s head bleeding.”
Pickrem said he wants to warn others to always check their surroundings when attending a rental property.
“We had no inclination to know that the railings wouldn’t have been secure and as far as I’m concerned, not up to code,” he said. “Be more cautious, kind of look around and don’t just trust that everything is how its supposed to be, because often times, as I learned the hard way, it’s not.”
Pickrem moved to Calgary several months ago from Halifax, seeking work.
His sister Brittany, who lives in Halifax, has set up a crowdfunding campaign to help her brother financially.
It’s raised more than $3,200 of its $5,000 goal.
Doctors have told Pickrem it could be six months before he begins walking again.
“I asked him on a scale of one to 10, where’s your comfort level, and he said he’s about a four with the pain,” Brittany said. “But I can tell now its more emotional than anything else. He’s so far away from his family.”
Airbnb said in a statement that “the safety of our community is of the utmost importance to us.”
“We are looking into this incident and have reached out to the guest and host to offer additional support,” an Airbnb spokesperson said.
The company says Pickrem and his friends received a refund for their visit.
Pickrem says he would like to return to Halifax but believes he’ll be in Calgary for several months to recover.
His injuries are so severe, doctors say he will have to be specially transported by air back to Calgary from Vernon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
What is a 'halal mortgage'? Does it make housing more accessible?
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.