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by Erinn Kenney
Three men were rushed to hospital after a vicious attack with baseball bats this morning in Toronto’s downtown core.
The victims, all in their early 20s, were attacked around 3:40 a.m. on Spadina Avenue just south of College Street near Kensington Market, according to Toronto Police.
One victim is clinging to life with serious head injuries. The other two were reported to have serious and minor injuries.
With the investigation ongoing, Toronto Police have refused to release any further details.
A long road to recovery could be ahead for the victims when these types of injuries are sustained said Harry Zarins, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Canada.
“It’s different for each and every injury. On one end you can end up in a wheelchair with a number of mobility, speech and physical challenges. On the other hand you could end up with cognitive, behavioral and emotional challenges that people don’t see or understand,” Zarins told Humber News.
“Certainly that is one of the biggest challenges, getting across what can be an invisible injury.”
A violent incident like this shouldn’t affect the perception of safety in the neighbouring community, Mike Sheppard, Kensington Market Business Improvement Association chair, told Humber News.
“Being right downtown we rarely have instances like this happen in the area. Kensington and the neighbouring communities have a reputation of being a safe, populated and welcoming area,” said Sheppard.
There’s a chance that this altercation happened in the area only by timing and coincidence said Sheppard.
“I can’t say with absolute certainty, but I’ve heard through people close to me that this was a road-rage related incident that could have started entirely somewhere else,” said Sheppard.
The details of what actually happened and the extent of inju to the victims remain speculation for now as they continue to recover in hospital. It’s always hard to speculate with these types of injuries said Zarins.
“It depends how it’s done, where they are hit, how hard they are hit, what part of the head,” Zarins said.
“It’s a very difficult question to answer, but the best rule of thumb is to avoid such altercations altogether.”