KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A taxi driver who was critically injured last month says he is overwhelmed by the generosity of his co-workers in Kamloops, B.C., and is already looking forward to returning to the job he loves.
Cal Huntington was left clinging to life on Aug. 24 when a routine early morning turned violent.
"I'm usually really good at reading people but this guy set off no warning bells whatsoever," Huntington said of a suspect who is accused of stabbing Huntington multiple times.
"As soon as I put (the cab) in park he started attacking me."
Huntington said the man also demanded cash before fleeing.
Despite his injuries, which included a collapsed lung and a punctured vein in his neck, Huntington remembered the direction his attacker fled and gave crucial information to police.
It wasn't until much later that he learned how badly he was hurt.
"When they brought me out of sedation on Thursday afternoon is when I started realizing how serious things actually were," Huntington said.
A 19-year-old man has been charged with aggravated assault.
Kami Cabs general manager Satinder Mann said Huntington is considered part of the family and everyone in the company was concerned.
"At the beginning the injuries were life-threatening, so we were there a couple days to see him," said Mann.
"The doctors were also worried about him, but after a couple of days they were like, 'OK, he's getting better and better and better.' "
Huntington was discharged on Monday, but he says he suffered a seizure linked to his neck wound so he won't be permitted to drive for a month.
Management and staff at the cab company launched a fundraiser and within a week had raised $5,175, Mann said.
Huntington considers the stabbing a "freak incident," and said it hasn't soured his view of the job or humanity.
"Well, I know after a month of doing nothing I'm going to want to get back out there," he said. "I really enjoy my job. I get to meet all sorts of different people, and I have to say everyone, from down below all the way up to the professionals that I take in my car, I've always said my job is entertaining."
After experiencing the generosity of his co-workers, he's also excited to see them again.
"If anything can make you believe in people, this is it."
