‘The longest, most tragic night of my career’

Dr. Hassan Masri went to work in the intensive care unit of Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital at 8 Friday night. He hadn’t heard about the bus crash and headed to the ER to find out what was happening. He saw dozens of doctors, surgeons, residents and nurses who responded to a “code orange” to deal with mass casualties. Here is how he described his 12-hour shift the next morning in a post to Facebook. Last night can only be described as the longest, worst and most tragic night of my career. The images can’t be unseen or forgotten, the stories can’t be unheard or ignored. Meeting each family and explaining the extent of each injury was nothing short of a painful exercise of cruelty. Families waiting for hours to identify their loved ones and smiling (with) joy at the idea of a significant injury as long as it meant that their loved one was alive brought chills to my spine.

I want to thank you few people and I know I will forget some. The performance during this code orange was nothing but phenomenal. 1. First and foremost: the nurses in the emergency department and in the ICU. Your tears made it easier for my tears to flow. Your passion, care and love is so admirable. I thank you for being the amazing humans that you are. You saved many lives and comforted hundreds of other lives. 2. The physicians who came in from everywhere to help. Anesthesiologist, general surgeons, emergency department physicians, neurosurgeons, radiologists. You all put everything aside including your own families and came and put your head down and got to work. You called in and insisted that we call you if we can use you. 3. The respiratory therapists who are often overlooked were the silent heroes as always. 4. The hospital organization and the Saskatchewan Health Authority for making sure that this horrible national tragedy was less painful than what it is already. 5. To the talented residents that stepped up to the challenge and helped beyond what is expected of them. 6. To the social workers who will be hurting silently today after hearing all those tragic stories. May this be my first and final code orange. Never want to see what I saw again. What an honour to know that you all have helped save a large number of lives. Thank you everyone and may those painful hours be followed by many hours and days of healing.

What a sad and horrible night.

THE ICE WAS EMPTY. THERE WAS NOTHING GOING ON. BUT THERE’S PEOPLE JUST SITTING IN THE STANDS, STUNNED. THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. — HUMBOLDT MAYOR ROB MUENCH, DESCRIBING HOW PEOPLE WENT TO THE ARENA WHEN NEWS REACHED THE TOWN