10 years later, reflecting on workplace accident that claimed the life of Lacombe teen

In Red Deer, an early ceremony was held April 26 at Bower Ponds, where a memorial stands to remember the deaths of several workers, hundreds of which die, get severely sick or are injured on the job each year in Canada.

What happened?

According to an investigation, the vehicle Pannenbecker was driving, a work van which had five of his co-workers inside at the time, crossed the centre line and hit an oncoming vehicle head-on — driver-to-driver.

It was after dinner time, and snow was blowing on both sides of the rural road near Olds, just west of the QEII Highway.

There’s a chance, it was acknowledged, that Pannenbecker was attempting to see ahead of the semi he was following.

But be it the weather and road conditions, or something else entirely, what happened was truly an accident, and devastating to an inexplicable degree.

A wise man once said ‘Grief is love without a place to go’

Grief is a healthy thing, and how one carries themselves through it shouldn’t be dictated by others, Marlene believes.

“A day like April 28, the National Day of Mourning, is another day to say, ‘Remember my child.’ Parents need to know it’s okay to grieve,” she says.

“Some days, it feels like it happened yesterday, and others like it happened so incredibly long ago. Often, I wonder about if he was here, how would our family be different? He had such a big presence and a great sense of humor.”

Then the question lingers for Marlene, and husband Denny: ‘How can we help others?’

Marlene Pannenbecker holds a picture of her late son Damian, who passed away 10 years ago this past January while on the job. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“I’ve tried to help other parents who’ve lost children, sometimes to my own detriment. Once you can get to the point — and it takes a long time — that you can talk about your child dying without crying, that’s when you can help more people,” says Marlene. “My message to other parents in this situation is to talk about your child every day.”

Damian Pannenbecker was a fan favourite player on the HJHL Junior ‘B’ Ponoka Stampeders, and his #17 now hangs majestically in the Ponoka Culture & Recreation Complex.

He played baseball, competing at provincial and national competitions, once in an exhibition against the Canadian women’s team in Sherwood Park. A baseball dugout in Lacombe bears an engraving in his honour.

He aspired to be a carpenter.

‘What is your reason for working safely?’

For the Parkland Regional Safety Committee (PRSC), which organizes the annual National Day of Mourning ceremony in Red Deer, the occasion is one, even for those who advocate for prevention every day, to have the importance of their work reinforced, both to themselves and the public.

Too many people are hurting or are being killed on worksites every year, and, “We can do better,” says Brad Vonkeman, PRSC chair.

According to the Workers’ Compensation Board of Canada, 165 Albertans lost their lives while on the job in 2022. Of those, 29 were vehicle-related.

The total for all of Canada that year was 993, of which 33 were young workers aged 15-24.

There were also 348,747 accepted WCB claims, up more than 71,000 from 2021, and 40,303 were young workers.

“In order to get people to buy into safety, if we can make the emotional connection clear, it gives someone a better reason to work safely, in order to get home safe at the end of the day,” says Vonkeman.

“We ask people, ‘What is your reason for working safely?’”

Damian Joel Pannenbecker has been remembered by family on trips around the world since his tragic passing. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

As an organization, Vonkeman adds, the PRSC urges companies to keep vehicles in good running order, which he notes is federally regulated. They also encourage workers to do regular walk-arounds of their vehicle before driving away, and to remember one thing above all else.

“We talk with workers about not being in a rush,” he says. “Slowing down is super important when it comes to minimizing vehicle-related incidents.”

Kyle Johnston, president, Red Deer and District Labour Council (RDDLC), says one death is too many.

“We need to demand better from all levels of government and employers across the country,” says Johnston. “Workplace accidents and illnesses are preventable and should never be seen as just part of the job or the cost of doing business. Incidents are on the rise and it’s unacceptable.”

Johnston points to the Westray Law, or former Bill C-45, which came into effect in 2004, modernizing Canadian law’s approach to establishing criminal liability of corporations for workplace deaths and injuries.

The Westray Law is an example, he says, of how change can be made. That law was prompted by the Westray Mine disaster in Nova Scotia, which killed 26 men on May 9, 1992.

In 2022, the federal government introduced 10 days of paid sick leave impacting nearly 1,000,000 regulated workers in Canada. The minimum age for hazardous work was also raised from 17 to 18 in federally regulated private sector workplaces.

Happenstance and life from a different lens

These days, Damian Pannenbecker’s legacy lives on not just in the rafters of a hockey arena, at the entrance to a dugout, or in a memorial tree which buds anew each spring, but it lives on in his family.

In one case, that’s with one of his young nephews he never had the chance to meet.

In recent years, the youngster randomly and rather serendipitously selected #17 at a minor sports tryout, entirely unknowing that it was a major part of his uncle’s enduring memory, Marlene shares.

Damian’s young nephew plays goal during a recent lacrosse game in Ponoka. Above him is a banner honouring his uncle’s time with the Ponoka Stampeders hockey team. (Supplied)

For Marlene, it’s those little things that aid in moving forward.

But doing right by her son, and ensuring that this type of tragedy never devastates another family, has also meant striving to make a difference in her own workplace.

“Vehicles have to be in good condition and have good tires, and the person shouldn’t be driving tired. That wasn’t Damian’s case, but I’m just saying. Road conditions have to be taken into account when you have employees driving home,” she says.

“If the roads are bad, we say get a hotel. We no longer have them drive in bad weather. It’s important that a worker knows they have a right to say, ‘I don’t want to drive,’ or, ‘I want better tires on my vehicle,’ or, ‘I’m too tired to drive.’”

Damian was outspoken, she adds, and would stand up and call out an injustice if he witnessed it.

“He loved his family more than anything. He was soft-hearted, and was very loyal to his teammates and friends. He was very, very well loved,” his mom says.

“We do our best to honour his memory and live the best life we can every day.”

To learn more about the National Day of Mourning, the Parkland Regional Safety Committee, or the Red Deer and District Labour Council, visit their websites.

On May 4, the annual Steps for Life walk is happening at Bower Ponds. The event raises money for Threads of Life, which funds support programs for those with connections to workplace deaths and injuries. To register, click here.

by Josh Hall | @Vancan19

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