CALGARY — A Polish man's effort to circumnavigate the globe on two wheels came to a screeching halt when his scooter was struck by a car on the TransCanada Highway east of Calgary.
Piotr Glowacki was airlifted to the Foothills Medical Centre after suffering three breaks to his leg and significant bruising in the ordeal.
Glowacki was in the midst of a trip that had started in May 2016 in his homeland.
After reaching British Columbia, he was shut down by the Canadian winter and then his attempt to resume his trek in the spring was plagued by trouble with his scooter.
He tells CTV Calgary that a local scooter club helped him out and got him back on the road, but he broke down again in Kinkaid, Sask., and the club brought him back to Calgary to continue repairs to his bike.
On Sunday, he set out again only to be hit by a driver who left him lying on the side of the road.
“I (felt) it like a rocket or a grenade or a meteor just punched me," says Glowacki. “Bones are sticking out from my body.”
RCMP arrested a suspect a short distance from the scene.
Christopher Ferguson, 27, of Airdrie, Alta., faces charges in the crash as well as a number of recent armed robberies at liquor stores in cities and towns around Calgary.
Glowacki has undergone emergency surgery and his hospital room has been graced by an endless parade of well-wishers including members of the Apocalypse Scooter Club and the Polish Consul.
He says he plans to return to Poland to undergo physiotherapy and rehabilitation but once he's back on his feet he'll return to Calgary with a new scooter.
