‘Please see this’: Ontario man recalls rescue after over 10 hours trapped under ATV
Eric “Rick” Sorenson knew he didn’t want to die, but faced with extreme dehydration after hours trapped under an ATV at the bottom of a 4.5-metre embankment and coming nightfall, he had to call upon his late father’s lessons for a chance at rescue.
“He was in the Navy. He taught me … to get people’s attention,” Sorenson told Global News from his hospital bed.
But how to get attention?
Several neighbours had already passed by the spot where he had crashed without noticing him after he failed to return from a trip to the grocery store on the afternoon of Aug. 10 in Sydenham, north of Kingston, Ont.
While the South Frontenac man was concerned about what he would do if coyotes approached under cover of night, the setting sun also provided an opportunity. He could hear traffic above and so he began flickering his lights to try to get attention.
“At 9:00, I’ve been hearing that the fire truck’s going by,” he said, saying he turned the lights on and off to no avail. At 9:30 p.m., he did it again.
“I just said, ‘Please see this.’ Did the same thing. He drove by, I heard him, he turned right… He backed up because they got backup beepers.”
He flickered the light again and the firefighter, returning from fighting a vegetation blaze, came down.
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“He thought it was an abandoned four-wheeler,” Sorenson said. “I waved my arm.”
The firefighter was startled, shouting, “Oh my God!” before asking how long he had been down there. Sorenson wasn’t sure, but guessed it had been since at least 1:30 p.m.
Eric ‘Rick’ Sorenson is recovering from amputation following an ATV crash.
via GoFundMe
Sorenson’s ordeal began when, according to him, his mother was cooking burgers for lunch and realized they were out of buns, so he offered to head into the village and pick some up.
However, Marie Hannah tells a slightly different story.
“He wanted hamburgers in the worst way,” she said. They only had shaved hamburger in the freezer, so he told her he would go down to the village to pick some up.
When he failed to return, she phoned the village Foodland.
“They said, ‘No Marie, we have not seen Eric today, we miss his jokes.’ And I said, ‘Well, I better get on the blower.’ Well, nobody else saw him.”
The neighbours went and looked, many going right past the embankment he was trapped in.
Sorenson said he lost control of the four-wheeler due to suction of the gravel. He had slowed down, going roughly 40 km/h but it caught him off guard. The ATV rolled multiple times down the 4.5-metre embankment before pinning him underneath, crushing his foot and part of his leg.
In addition to the aftermath of the crash itself, Sorenson was left waiting in extreme heat — feeling like 40 C with the humidity — without any water.
When he finally arrived in hospital, he was diagnosed with extreme dehydration.
Medical staff worked quickly to try to relieve the pressure on his leg, but it was later determined that amputation was required. Eleven days later, he underwent amputation on his right leg about 20 cm below the knee.
While Hannah says she was “elated” to learn her son had been found, she noted, “The worst is yet to come.”
“He’s got a lot to learn all over again. And you take one step at a time.”
Maryann Ruttan, whose partner is Sorenson’s stepbrother, has started a GoFundMe to help support the family.
“(It’s) primarily to help him with getting the house arranged,” Ruttan said. “Ramps, doors… prosthetics that he’s going to need in the future — anything to alleviate the stress and strain of the financial burden from the family.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
TORONTO – An old bat was a difference-maker for the Toronto Blue Jays in a wild 9-8 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
Ty France sparked an eighth-inning rally with a solo homer and Addison Barger emerged from a 2-for-30 slump with a two-run double to help the Blue Jays to their AL-best 40th comeback win of the year.
Barger said France “randomly decided” to use one of his old bats from the cage before his pinch-hit appearance.
“I haven’t seen the bat since last year and he had a homer with it,” Barger said. “And I was like, ‘Oh shoot, I’m going to use that.’ And it worked.”
Barger lined a slider from Michael Tonkin (2-1) off the top of the wall in right field to bring home Alejandro Kirk with the tying run and George Springer from first base with the go-ahead run.
Seranthony Dominguez (3-4) got two outs in the eighth inning for the win and closer Jeff Hoffman worked the ninth for his 29th save as Toronto (78-56) took the rubber game of the three-game series.
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Toronto improved its record at Rogers Centre to 44-22, the best home mark in Major League Baseball at the end of the game.
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Barger became a regular in the lineup early in the season after providing consistent pop at the plate. Despite his struggles in recent weeks, he remains unfazed by late-game pressure.
With runners in scoring position in the seventh inning or later this season, Barger is hitting .389 with a 1.161 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
“Addy’s got talent,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “He can do that. We’ve seen him do that, we’ve seen him hit home runs.
“I think it’s just the natural course of the season for a young guy and I think he’s navigating it pretty well.”
On the mound, Schneider went right back to Hoffman a night after he gave up two homers and blew his seventh save of the season.
“It’s like a quarterback throwing an interception,” Schneider said. “You’ve got to have a short memory and you’ve got to move on to the next thing. And you know, Hoff, like everybody else on this team, they move on to the next thing.”
The game had eight solo homers — four from each team — and Toronto clawed back from three deficits before taking its first lead in the eighth.
Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (41) have had more comeback wins.
“These guys do not quit,” Schneider said. “They do not give a (crap) who they’re playing against. They don’t care what the situation is. I love it.”
Andres Gimenez and Davis Schneider, with a pair, also went deep for Toronto. Byron Buxton, with two, Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee homered for the Twins (60-73).
Toronto starter Eric Lauer allowed six earned runs and 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts.
Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson gave up five earned runs and five hits over 3 2/3 frames. He walked a pair and fanned two.
Toronto maintained its four-game lead on Boston in the American League East Division standings. The Red Sox edged Baltimore 3-2.
The Blue Jays will continue their six-game homestand Friday night against the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Shane Bieber (1-0, 1.50 earned-run average) is tabbed to start for Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Addison Barger hit a two-run double in Toronto’s three-run eighth inning as the Blue Jays came back for a 9-8 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
Barger drove a ball into the right-centre field gap to score Alejandro Kirk with the tying run and George Springer with the go-ahead run.
Seranthony Dominguez (3-4) got two outs in the eighth inning for the win and closer Jeff Hoffman worked the ninth for his 29th save as Toronto took the rubber game of the three-game series.
Each team hit four home runs. All eight blasts were solo shots.
Related Videos
Davis Schneider, with a pair, Andres Gimenez and Ty France, who hit a pinch-hit homer to start the rally in the eighth, went deep for Toronto (78-56).
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Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Byron Buxton, with two, Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee went deep for the Twins (60-73).
Toronto starter Eric Lauer allowed six earned runs and 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts.
Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson gave up five earned runs and five hits over 3 2/3 frames. He walked a pair and fanned two.
Michael Tonkin (2-1) blew the save and took the loss.
Toronto maintained its four-game lead on Boston in the American League East Division standings. The Red Sox edged Baltimore 3-2.
KEY MOMENT
Blue Jays centre-fielder Daulton Varsho put a charge into the sellout crowd of 42,361 with his catch against the wall in the second inning. He made another brilliant catch in virtually the same spot in the third.
KEY STAT
Toronto owns the best home record in the AL at 44-22.
UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will continue their six-game homestand Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Shane Bieber (1-0, 1.50 earned-run average) has been tabbed to start for Toronto.
The Twins will return home for a seven-game homestand starting Friday against the San Diego Padres.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
TORONTO – Addison Barger hit a two-run double in Toronto’s three-run eighth inning as the Blue Jays came back for a 9-8 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.
Barger drove a ball into the right-centre field gap to score Alejandro Kirk with the tying run and George Springer with the go-ahead run.
Seranthony Dominguez (3-4) got two outs in the eighth inning for the win and closer Jeff Hoffman worked the ninth for his 29th save as Toronto took the rubber game of the three-game series.
Each team hit four home runs. All eight blasts were solo shots.
Related Videos
Davis Schneider, with a pair, Andres Gimenez and Ty France, who hit a pinch-hit homer to start the rally in the eighth, went deep for Toronto (78-56).
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Byron Buxton, with two, Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee went deep for the Twins (60-73).
Toronto starter Eric Lauer allowed six earned runs and 10 hits over 4 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts.
Minnesota starter Simeon Woods Richardson gave up five earned runs and five hits over 3 2/3 frames. He walked a pair and fanned two.
Michael Tonkin (2-1) blew the save and took the loss.
Toronto maintained its four-game lead on Boston in the American League East Division standings. The Red Sox edged Baltimore 3-2.
KEY MOMENT
Blue Jays centre-fielder Daulton Varsho put a charge into the sellout crowd of 42,361 with his catch against the wall in the second inning. He made another brilliant catch in virtually the same spot in the third.
KEY STAT
Toronto owns the best home record in the AL at 44-22.
UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will continue their six-game homestand Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Shane Bieber (1-0, 1.50 earned-run average) has been tabbed to start for Toronto.
The Twins will return home for a seven-game homestand starting Friday against the San Diego Padres.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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