Jugpreet Bajwa is feeling rattled after being struck by a car this week.
Bajwa is well-known to Vancouver Canucks fans for his impressive renditions of the Canadian and American national anthems before NHL games at Rogers Arena. An accomplished singer, he placed third out of 150,000 contestants in the singing competition “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,” which Bajwa describes as India’s version of American Idol, in 2016.
The 30-year-old from Vancouver is also blind after surviving retinoblastoma eye cancer when he was just six months old, resulting in both of his eyes being removed.
Bajwa’s lack of eyesight brings obvious challenges to getting around town. On his way from the seawall to the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain station, he got help from a woman named “Cathy” from Toronto, whom he’d just met to cross Quebec Street at National Avenue.
That’s when they were both hit and knocked to the ground by a driver who wasn’t paying attention while making a right turn. Bajwa said the driver showed remorse, but they admitted to being distracted by their phone, in addition to the glare of the sun playing a factor.
“It was a really scary situation,” Bajwa told Daily Hive. “It could have been a lot worse. It’s definitely one of those things where it kind of rattles you for a bit.”
He called the moment “surreal.”
To all the drivers out there, please don’t text and drive or run a red light. Got hit by a car yesterday while walking to the skytrain and definitely feeling some more effects today. Definitely recovering though 🙂
— Jugpreet Bajwa (@JuggyJag) January 28, 2025
“It was shocking… I felt that impact and then I was like ‘Oh man, I don’t know.’ Like, am I going to be able to get up, right?
“I was able to get up, thankfully, eventually.”
Both Bajwa and Cathy went to the hospital, but they’re both out now.
“She was a saving grace in a lot of ways,” Bajwa said. “I feel completely horrible for her because she definitely got quite a bit of it as well.”
As for Bajwa, he says he’s “doing alright.”
“I’ve been still feeling a bit dizzy. So we’ll see how this all goes.”
Bajwa last sang the anthem on Diwali Night, October 28, and isn’t scheduled to sing at any of the remaining games on the Canucks schedule. He expects to sing at some Vancouver Whitecaps matches, though.
“My main focus to start off this year has been more recording my own original songs… I’m really trying to get into the pop R&B side, where I’m doing English, but I’m also incorporating my own roots, like Punjabi and stuff in it. Mostly it’s in English and the Punjabi sort of compliments it a little bit.”
Bajwa is also a big-time Canucks fan, and despite not being able to see, he’s able to interact on social media with the use of a screen reader and using brail finger commands on his phone.
“It’s really easy to text and stuff like that… Technology is crazy, eh?”
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