Act of kindness at side of the road leaves Langley couple in hospital

MySense

Brandon Gullickson and Cassy Dryden rest Wednesday in Royal Columbian Hospital at New Westminster after being hit Saturday by an SUV as they were helping another motorist.Photograph by: Steve Bosch, PNG

A Good Samaritan who suffered a broken back and broken legs while helping a stranded motorist was the kind of guy who went out of his way to help others.
Brandon Gullickson, 23, was driving back to his Langley home after offering to drive a co-worker home when he pulled over to help boost the battery of the car of a total stranger — twice.
During the second boost at the side of the road on Fraser Highway near 176th Street on Saturday, a Mercedes SUV struck Gullickson’s Mazda from behind while he was outside the vehicle.
Gullickson was pinned underneath the car, according to Patsy Davis, his girlfriend’s aunt.
Gullickson, who’s in Royal Columbian Hospital awaiting back surgery, may never walk again, she said.
His girlfriend, Cassy Dryden, 18, who was in the Mazda, suffered a broken neck. Gullickson’s 12-year-old sister, Gabby, who was also in the car, suffered a broken arm.
“It’s pretty tragic,” said Mark Webb, the manager of the Langley PetSmart, where Gullickson has worked for the past three months.
“Brandon is always generous with this time and knowledge with the pet parents (customers). He did really nice things for a variety of people, which put him in the unlikely position he was in that night.”
Webb said Gullickson’s activities the day of the accident last weekend showed his typical generosity: He agreed to work three hours on his day off to help close the store because of a staff shortage and then offered to drive a co-worker home to Surrey.
It was on the way back to Langley that Gullickson and Dryden noticed no one stopping to help a woman in a BMW having car troubles on Fraser Highway. Dryden agreed with Gullickson’s suggestion to circle back to see if they could help.
They boosted her once, she stalled again, and were boosting her a second time when they were hit.
The BMW was totalled in the crash but the driver wasn’t hurt, nor was the driver of the SUV.
A 48-year-old male was arrested for three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, said Surrey RCMP spokesman Curtis Hurling.
“Speed may be one of the factors we’re looking at,” he said. Alcohol wasn’t noted as a factor in the police report.
Hurling said investigations like this one can take weeks or months to complete.
Neither Gullickson or Dryden, who rent an apartment together, will be able to work (Dryden works at a DollarTree) while they recover, and a Facebook page has been launched in their names.
“They’re worried about losing everything,” said Davis.
Meanwhile, the couple worried about how they would pay for rehab. They claim they were told by their lawyer that ICBC was denying immediate benefits because Gullickson had only a learner’s permit with restrictions for driving alone and at night.
But ICBC’s Adam Grossman said the initial report from a family member included erroneous information and an official claim hadn’t been filed. Having a learner’s permit wouldn’t have affected the claim in any event, he said, because Gullickson was not driving.
He denied ICBC turned down their claim.
Friends and co-workers have offered to step up to take care of the reptiles Gullickson has adopted — two snakes and six bearded dragons — along with the couple’s kitten, guinea pig and tropical fish collection.
“Brandon will help anybody and anything, whether it’s animals, people, anything,” said Davis.
The couple said they don’t blame the driver of the BMW and were grateful she tracked them down in hospital to find out how they were because they were concerned about her, too, said Davis.

By Susan Lazaruk, The ProvinceSeptember 26, 2013