A father has been permanently blinded in one eye following a freak accident while he was hiking with his son in Canada.
Ed Steinkamp, 67, from Texas, and his 28-year-old son Bret set out to hike trails in British Columbia, but he slipped and impaled his eye on a tree branch.
According to MailOnline, on the third day of their trip, as the pair were climbing along the West Coast Trail, Mr Steinkamp walked across a tree branch that had fallen rather than tread through the mud.
He lost his footing, slipped and landed on a branch that went through his left eye reaching into his brain.
Mr Steinkamp of Allen, Texas, is reportedly receiving treatment at Victoria General Hospital in British Columbia, after "what started as a beautiful experience with stunning views turned suddenly tragic a few days later", a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his medical expenses said.
Mr Steinkamp and his son Bret "left for a lifetime opportunity" on April 30.
The campaign, which has reportedly raised, as of yesterday (Thursday), $17,000 (£13,700) of its $200,000 target, said: "He ended up with a stick puncturing his brain through his eye," noting that Pacheedahl First National Guardians had to fly him to the local hospital.
"It took them six hours and a refuelling by the national guard before they could get him," the campaign added.
Mr Steinkamp's wife Wendy flew out from Texas to meet their son and be at his side. Gamily friend Susan Lowe said was unclear how long he will remain hospitalised but said the costs for his medical care would be large, in addition to expenses.
She said: "Ed will not be allowed to fly for months, so they will now need to rent a vehicle and drive him across the country to get home when he is finally released, which with the cost of car rentals and gas and another week of hotel bills can be enormous."
She hoped the fundraiser would help alleviate some of their bills, saying in part, so her friend can concentrate on getting well.
