WEYBURN - The poignant and tragic story of the death of Kailynn Bursic-Panchuk only days after her 17th birthday was shared with the students and staff of the Weyburn Comprehensive School, as part of Rail Safety Week.
Kailynn’s mom, Sandra LaRose, shared the story on Wednesday about her daughter and how she died because of distracted driving at an uncontrolled rail crossing.
Kailynn was 16 at the time of the accident on Aug. 16, 2018, and was preparing to enter her Grade 12 year at the Weyburn Comp.
“She looked away for a split second. She was distracted, and her distraction ended with tragic consequences,” said LaRose, who went on to describe her daughter for the audience of high school students in the Cugnet Centre.
“Kailynn was just like every one of you sitting here today. She was happy and outgoing, full of energy, and she had an infectious smile, and a laugh that was unforgettable,” said her mom, noting she loved animals, and loved it when her family moved to a farm when she was five years old and would hold her kitty or sing to the goats in the pasture.
“She was someone everyone adored, and I’m not just saying that because I’m her mom,” said LaRose. “She wasn’t perfect. She was a teenager, a young lady, but she was my perfect.”
She added that even now she is awed by the number of lives Kailynn touched.
“Her compassion and empathy had an impact and influence on everyone she met, and she would stand up for anyone. If you were in trouble, she’d be there for you,” said her mom, adding she played volleyball, was on the SRC, had two part-time jobs, was in drama and choir, and still had time to keep an honour roll average with her marks.
“Kailynn had it all. She had big plans, she was going to change the world. She had dreams, goals and aspirations,” said LaRose, noting that she never made it to graduation day, and didn’t even start her Grade 12 year classes. She noted that she and her friends had plans for their senior year, and Kailynn was a passionate writer who wanted to teach English and creative writing, and influence her students like her teachers influenced her.
“She was smart. She knew right from wrong. That’s what makes her accident that much harder to understand, how someone so smart could make a wrong decision. She was human, and humans make mistakes,” said LaRose.
The accident occurred at an uncontrolled rail crossing just off Highway 39, just past the P&H grain terminal, where her car was hit by a train.
In the days and weeks that followed, LaRose found out that Kailynn was distracted by her phone, and by having her music turned up loud so she didn’t hear the blare of the train horn at the crossing.
She was flown by STARS helicopter to the Regina General Hospital for emergency surgery, and Sandra and her husband drove up to Regina to be with her. She didn’t know at first any details, but as she drove, the details started to come to her phone that Kailynn’s car had been hit by a train, and that she was in critical condition.
After the initial emergency surgery, Kailynn and her mom were taken by plane up to Saskatoon where she was put into the pediatric intensive care unit, and she fought hard for her life for six days.
On the fifth day, which was Kailynn’s 17th birthday, doctors told her that if she did survive her injuries, she would have no quality of life. The next day, on Aug. 22, she passed away.
“She paid the ultimate price for a moment of inattention. Kailynn paid the ultimate price for a moment of distracted driving,” said LaRose.
Her accident came four months after the tragic bus accident that hit the Humboldt Broncos hockey team, and LaRose noted that hit her hard, and Kailynn made the decision to become an organ donor, making sure her parents knew of her wishes.
As she sat with Kailynn’s doctor at the hospital, as he shared how her daughter had died, Sandra told this to him, asking that her last wish be honoured.
“For the first time since Aug. 16, I cried. Kailynn was lost to us, but her organs helped many others,” said LaRose.
An organ donor team was able to harvest Kailynn’s liver and kidneys. They also took her pancreas for medical research.
As it turned out, the kidneys were a “one-in-a-million” match for a highly-sensitized patient who needed the organs.
Thinking back about what led to the collision, she noted the police report said the train crew saw her head looked down, likely at her phone, and she had had her music on loud. She has wondered often what her last song was, but will never know now what she had been listening to.
“I decided shortly after her death to share her story. If I can save one person, if I can save one of you, then I know her death can be turned to something of value. This is a lesson I want all of you to learn, not experience. Kailynn would ask you to change your habits,” said LaRose. “Kailynn lived a full life, but it was only 17 years. There’s not one person who didn’t see her without a smile on her face. She sparkled. She loved everyone, and her friends were devastated with the loss of Kailynn.”
She asked the students to look around at their friends or their family, and think about how it would impact them if they lost one of their friends, or their parents – or how their friends or family would be impacted if they died.
A poignant moment came as she played “Kailynn’s Song” that singer Brayden King wrote about Kailynn, and photos and videos of Kailynn were shown during the song.
“Do you drive? Do you have a cell phone? Do you want to graduate, start a career, travel the world, fall in love and get married, have children, grow old? Kailynn got 100 per cent on her driver’s test, but because of her phone and a choice she made, she didn’t get to graduate. Instead of a grad dress, I picked out an urn, and I paid for a funeral. Instead of doing a toast at grad, I did her eulogy at her celebration of life. Kailynn understood the rules. When she rode with me, she was adamant that I didn’t touch my phone; she would answer it for me and reply to texts for me,” explained LaRose.
“When you drive, you must focus 100 per cent on the road. No text message, no phone calls, no notifications are worth losing your life over. When you drive, just drive,” she said. “I’m a mom. My life is changed in many ways, and I will never be the same after a loss like this. It affects every part of my life, and all I have now arememories in my heart. I’m grateful for the 17 years I was with Kailynn, but at the same time, I feel cheated. (Her memories) are all I have now.”
